Trophy
by LetItGoxx
Summary: "So you mean to tell me that all this time, I was part of a stupid bet for a stupid car?" Misty fumed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Misty. I know what I did was wrong in all ways," Ash reasoned as he took hold of her shoulders firmly. "I didn't expect to fall in love with you." A bet and a girl. Which would Ash choose?
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! It's been a while since I made a fanfic huh? Well, guess what, I'm back! This story used to be an Advancedshipping story but I feel as if the plot fits Pokeshipping more (not to mention, I had a change of heart regarding my favorite ships and had been leaning towards Pokeshipping more now.)

So here you go! Without further ado, I present to you, TROPHY!

Reviews are highly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters but I do own my plot.

-xoOox-

TROPHY**  
**Chapter 1

_RIIIIING!_

A muscular arm desperately searched through the night table beside a double bed for the annoying alarm clock that was disturbing the person from his slumber.

In the process, the arm knocked over the alarm clock and it fell on the floor with a loud thud awakening the owner.

"Ugh," a young man groaned as he stretched his arms and rose from his bed. This young man had auburn eyes and marks in the shape of lightning bolts under his eyes. His height was what men of his age would be jealous of and his body? The body of a well-built athlete. His raven-colored hair was in messy spikes.

This young man's name is Ash Ketchum, an 18-year old senior in Viridian National High, one of the most prestigious high schools in his country.

He was the head of his school's basketball team. We all know that for every basketball team head, there are lots of adoring girls out there and Ash happens to be one of those jocks whom girls fawn over all the time. In fact, he hung out with the most popular guys in his school, Paul and Drew who happen to live in the same village as he does.

Paul, also 18 years old, had dark onyx eyes and purple hair that almost reached his neck. He was taller than Ash by an inch and had a well-built body as well. He's currently going out with Dawn Berlitz, a beautiful blue-haired woman whom Ash sat next to in Math class.

Drew, another 18-year old, the most alluring green eyes. His chartreuse sort-of-boy-cut hair was the envy of men and fantasy of women. He was almost the same height as Ash and was also well-built due to all the training they did during their practices and trainings. Ash and Drew were so much alike being cousins and having grown up together.

Ash headed out of his room and down to the kitchen to get something to eat. He was delighted to see that his mother had prepared scrambled eggs and two pancakes for breakfast.

"Mom really knows how to satisfy by stomach," Ash mumbled to himself, smiling at his food. He usually ate alone since his mother was a business woman and barely had time for him. He was thankful though that his mother never left without cooking for him.

He thought to himself that it's about time that he got a girlfriend who knew how to cook so that she could teach him a thing or two. As popular as he is, Ash didn't have a girlfriend and that's what has been bothering him since the start of senior year. He didn't know who to take to the Seniors' Dance or what they call, "La Finale".

He recalled that day when Melody asked him to be her partner for the dance. Ash shuddered at the thought. Melody was pretty and was the head cheerleader but he certainly did NOT want to go with her. He found it wrong in so many ways.

Then he thought of Bianca, she had brown hair and she was really nice but she was probably going to the dance with Lucas, his classmate, so cancel that one.

His thoughts went to May, the brown-haired teenager whom he knew as the girl with the uncontrollable appetite that would match his perfectly. He knew that Drew had a thing for her and would kill him if he asked her to the dance.

He definitely didn't want to ask Dawn to go to the dance with him. Paul would definitely kill him. Paul was very protective when it came to his girlfriend. In fact, Paul would probably kill anyone who would dare hurt Dawn. He chuckled at the memory of Paul beating up this pervert Conway for sneaking up on Dawn in the girls changing room.

His thoughts ended up at Misty, Dawn's best friend since pre-school, and his childhood friend before she moved to Cerulean when they were both 10. Misty was the redhead with quite a temper which you would not want to deal with. Her temper was actually what made Ash fear her, sort of, when they were children. Of course, it wasn't until she moved to Cerulean that he realized that he actually missed her and appreciated her.

As if fate was playing with him, Misty moved back to Viridian a good 3 years ago. However, their friendship was no longer the way it used to be. Just the casual 'hi' and 'hello' in the hallway. It seemed that both had somehow walked in opposite directions, Misty being the regular girl with the temper and Ash being the jock. The perfect cliché for this perfectly cliché life.

Three years ago, when Misty came back and enrolled in Viridian National High, Ash was too busy with his now ex-girlfriend, Shaine, to even take notice of his then ex-bestfriend walking down the hallway and giving him a look of familiarity.

Ash took one last bite of his pancake and a sip of his water before washing his utensils and putting them back in the kitchen cabinet.

He went back to his room upstairs preparing himself for school. After taking a bath, he put on a dark blue graffiti shirt that had the words, "Let's get it on!" in the middle and a pair of dark was jeans. He also put on his blue and yellow varsity basketball jacket with Ketchum written on the back and 24, his jersey number, below. He wore a pair of white high-cut Nike training shoes.

He made his way to Drew's house like he usually did and waited for the young man to come downstairs.

"Ash!" A young brunette called out as she made her way from the kitchen.

"Denise, what's up?" Ash said. Denise was Drew's sister. Unike him, she had dark-brown hair and had dark-green eyes. Her hair was straight and reached a few inches below her neck. Denise was four years older than Drew and was in college.

Unlike Drew, Denise was a bit tidier with her things and was more organized. She was a neat-freak, Ash thought. She couldn't stand seeing the house messy. She couldn't stand seeing anything messy. That's why she rarely goes to Drew's room.

"Ashy-boy! Let's go!" Drew called out as he ran downstairs. He had on a plain purple shirt and a pair of black jeans. Like Ash, he wore his blue and yellow varsity basketball jacket with Oak written on the back and 14 below. He wore a pair of black Nike training shoes on his feet.

"Took you long enough," Ash told him, picking up his training bag from the floor and heading outside. Drew followed and went towards his car. They both got in and started driving to school.

"Really, Ash, you'll be going to college in what, a few months? You still don't have a car! Dude, your mom's filthy stinking rich and she can't even buy you a car!" Drew exclaimed, not once taking his eyes of the road.

"My mom can afford a car. She just wants me to learn how to save and buy my own car," Ash explained, taking a sip of his Gatorade.

"Save money, pish posh! Your mom can stop working anytime she wants and still have enough money to support six children for the rest of her life. You should be thankful that you're an only child which means she only has to spend for one child," Drew stated.

It's true. Ash was an only child. But according to his mom, she got pregnant two years before Ash was even born but she lost the child. Ash's mom was the only person who raised him. When Ash was two years old, his father left them after a fight with his mom and never returned. Ash never knew who his father was but then again, he never cared to learn about his dad anyway.

"I dunno with my mom. She always tells me to." Ash raised his head and mocked his mother's high-pitched voice, "You should learn to save money, Ash Ketchum. You may never know when the company goes bankrupt and lose all the money."

"You're bad at impersonating women, you know that," Drew said.

"Like you're good at it," Ash replied with a shrug.

They reached a big school campus and Drew pulled over at his usual parking spot. The buildings were huge and painted light blue and had silver doors and windows. Their school colors were blue and yellow but you wouldn't want to see a blue and yellow building, would you?

A statue of a lion preparing to jump was present in front of the main building in the middle and water was shooting out of its mouth. Students were everywhere, sat atop the railings, sitting near the fountain, under the tree and walking around.

"La Finale's in about a month and a half, have you decided on who you're taking?" Drew asked Ash as they stepped out of the car and headed towards the school's main building.

"I haven't thought of it. I don't even have a girlfriend. I never had one since after I broke up with Cassie," Ash said, opening the school doors for him and Drew.

They were both greeted by their jock friends, cheerleaders and some other friends. They walked towards their purple-headed friend, Paul whose lips were currently in contact with a certain blunette's lips.

"You guys need to get a room, really," Drew stated causing the couple to pull away quick.

"Hey Ash, Drew," Dawn greeted receiving a flashy smile from both. Paul nodded at both of them, resting his arm around the blunette's shoulder.

"What's up?" Ash asked Paul.

"I was kissing my girlfriend here when you guys decided to show up and ruin the moment," Paul said nonchalantly causing Ash to chuckle.

"So Paul, have you decided on whom to take for the dance?" Drew asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Paul replied causing Dawn to glare at him.

"Just because we're going out doesn't mean I'm automatically going with you to the dance," Dawn stated.

"Then who are you going with?" Ash asked. Paul just rolled his eyes thinking of how silly this conversation was.

"I dunno," Dawn smirked playfully, "Barry's single and so is Kenny unless he decides to make a move on Zoey and maybe _Conway_would like to go with me." Paul cringed at the name.

If there was one person whom he absolutely hated, it was Conway. He had midnight-green hair and had black eyes. He had hair that reached his neck and he wore glasses. He was known in school to have a huge crush on Dawn.

"Maybe Paul would like to go with me," To that, Paul felt relieved. But his relief was cut shortly when Dawn continued, "if he asks me properly that is."

"Come on, do I have to? I already told you, I'm not repeating what I did during prom," Paul angrily replied. Back in junior year, Paul had to practically kneel down with a bouquet of flowers in his hands in front of everyone in the cafeteria just to have Dawn agree to come with him. It was embarrassing for him.

"If you don't want to then I can go with my choices," Dawn teased.

"You're troublesome, you know that?" Paul said, rolling his eyes.

"And you love me," Dawn replied, kissing her boyfriend once more.

"These guys seriously need to get a room," Ash muttered and Drew nodded in agreement. Paul just gave them the middle finger and resumed to kissing Dawn. Ash just chuckled at them.

The bell rang signalling that the students should be back in their classrooms for their first class. Ash went to his Physics class while Drew, Paul and Dawn went to their respective classes.

"Hey Ash!"

Ash cringed at the high-pitched voice of none other than the mean and brutal head cheerleader, Melody. She had brownish-red hair and blue eyes. As usual, she wore her skimpy outfits. A pink tank top and a pair of white shorts that reached her mid-thigh. Students weren't allowed to wear such outfits at school but somehow she got away saying that it was easier to change into her cheerleading outfit.

"What do you want?" Ash grunted, not even bothering to look at Melody in the eye.

"I was just gonna ask who the lucky girl you will be taking is, that's all," Melody innocently said, battering her eyelashes at the uninterested young man.

"Well, for starters, she definitely isn't you," Ash replied causing Gary, a brunette, to snicker from right behind him.

"Just because you're the popular team captain doesn't mean you have to be such a jerk!" Melody almost yelled at him.

"Whoever said I was being a jerk? I was just being honest," Ash said. Melody blushed red from embarrassment and walked away. She went towards her best friends at the other side of the room.

Ash just rolled his eyes at her and continued doing whatever he was doing.

On the other corner of the room, a certain orange-head and a brunette sat babbling about whatever things. At least the orange-head was babbling.

"Misty, are you even listening to what I was saying?" the brunette asked her. Misty was currently staring at something which her friend couldn't decipher.

"Misty!" The brunette shook her violently this time, "Earth to Misty, wake up!"

"Knock it off, May! Unless you want to be the next victim of my mallet!" Misty shouted at May, going back to reality. She had just been thinking about the school dance at the end of the year.

"I was saying that Melody got pretty embarrassed after what Ash had told her. She was asking whom Ash was taking to the dance and she got pretty socked when Ash told her that he certainly wouldn't be taking her to the dance," May told her friend, chuckling a little, clearly unaffected by Misty's direct threat.

"It's not like Ash would actually ever go with Melody to the dance, you know," Misty replied, grinning. Misty hated Melody, a lot. Melody had been tormenting her ever since she enrolled in VNH. She couldn't even understand what boys like in her.

She was pretty, that's for sure. But she was very thin. It could be from training a lot for the cheering squad but she seemed too thin for that. In fact, rumors circulated around the campus once that Melody vomited her food a lot of times on purpose.

"She's like anorexic or bullemic or something! I don't know where she gets her clothes! The children's section perhaps?" May joked. Like Misty, May hated Melody. She might even hate Melody more than Misty does.

Melody had called May an 'uncontrollable pig' once in front of the whole class and what do you expect? They all laughed at her. After that, May started hating Melody.

Apart from that, Melody called Misty a tomboy during their Junior Prom joking about how men weren't supposed to be in dresses. Misty, being Misty, fired a truckload of curse words at Melody in the parking lot after that. Misty may seem to act boyish a lot but she was definitely not a tomboy. She didn't dress like one, at least. Just because she loved to fight people doesn't mean she's a tomboy.

" She's like a skeleton wrapped in bubble wrap minus the bubbles," May giggled at her own joke.

"She could be a replacement for the skeleton model here in the physics room!" Misty exclaimed causing both of them to laugh.

"And what may I ask is funny?" A voice from behind them asked.

"What's it to you, Melody?" Misty growled, annoyed at Melody for ruining the funny moment.

"It's a bit hot here you know… or I think it's just you and your temper issues. Gosh, Misty, lighten up will you! You're adding more wrinkles to your face," Melody said and muttered, "As if you don't have enough already."

This caused her friends, Ursula, a pink-haired teen and Brianna, a brown-haired teen to laugh at Misty. Misty, on the other hand, seemed to take this in a very bad way though.

"One, I don't have wrinkles! And two, at least I'm not just made of pure bones, Skeleton!" Misty retorted. May couldn't help but laugh at her friend's comeback.

"Who are you calling Skeleton?" Melody angrily replied.

"Do you prefer Bones or Sticks?" Misty calmly responded. Melody looked at Misty, ready to attack until her friends stopped her.

"Come on, Melody, those losers aren't worth your time," Ursula said, taking the enraged cheerleader by the arm and dragging her away with Brianna trailing behind them giving Misty and May the "Hey-you-better-watch-out" look.

"Those girls are impossible," May said.

"It's not like we can't handle them anyway," Misty shrugged.

-xoOox-

"Ash!" The brunette from earlier called out as soon as class ended.

"What is it, Gary?" Ash wondered, walking towards the owner of the voice.

"I was just wondering if you already had someone to take to the dance or you were telling the truth that you didn't have a partner. You know, it makes me wonder whether you're messing with that girl with the tank top or not," Gary said.

"Her name's Melody," Ash supplied for him.

"Whatever. I don't care about her name," Gary pointed out.

"No, I don't have a partner yet. What makes you wonder?" Ash asked.

Gary smirked inwardly. "Want to make a bet?"

Ash grinned at this. Ever since freshman year, Ash and Gary made bets. The prizes were usually just food from the cafeteria and such but since they were already graduating, Gary thought that it was time for a level-up bet.

"I'm game!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"I bet that you can't get yourself a girlfriend before the seniors' dance," Gary taunted. Ash shook his head and smirked.

"I bet I can. If I get myself a girlfriend and a date, what's in it for me?" Ash asked.

"Two thousand, five hundred bucks," Gary simply said. Ash was taken aback a bit by what the he said. The car he wanted was $2,400. Winning the bet would mean earning enough money to spend for his own car since his mother wouldn't let him borrow her money.

"Abusing your grandpa's credit card again?" Ash asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey, at least I know how to make use of my money," Gary responded casually.

"Okay fine, I accept. If I lose then _I_owe you two thousand, five hundred dollars," Ash challenged.

"It's a bet then," Gary replied, holding out his hand for Ash to shake as they had done countless of times. Ash shook his hand and thought to himself, _"Better search for a girlfriend now."_

-xoOox-

END OF CHAPTER ONE

That's the first chapter! It's not that detailed but I tried my best to make it look worth-reading so I hope you guys like it.

Please correct me on any grammar mistakes and other stuff.

Review and no flames!

Thank you! Bye xo


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the thing, I got the idea for the $2400 car and the bet from this TV series called Drake and Josh, you guys probably know.**

**I'm also trying to get these characters' personalities to be as canon as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the plot.**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 1):**

_"I bet that you can't get yourself a girlfriend before the seniors' dance," Gary taunted. Ash shook his head and smirked._

_"I bet I can. If I get myself a girlfriend and a date, what's in it for me?" Ash asked._

_"Two thousand, five hundred bucks," Gary simply said. Ash was taken aback a bit by what the he said. The car he wanted was $2,400. Winning the bet would mean earning enough money to spend for his own car since his mother wouldn't let him borrow her money._

_"Abusing your grandpa's credit card again?" Ash asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world._

_"Hey, at least I know how to make use of my money," Gary responded casually._

_"Okay fine, I accept. If I lose then__I __owe you two thousand, five hundred dollars," Ash challenged._

_"It's a bet then," Gary replied, holding out his hand for Ash to shake as they had done countless of times. Ash shook his hand and thought to himself,__"Better search for a girlfriend now."_

**-xoOox-**

TROPHY**  
**Chapter 2

"Are you really that slow that you kept us waiting for like fifteen minutes to get your ass down here?" Drew asked impatiently.

"Sorry. I talked to Gary after class," Ash explained, taking a seat on his usual spot. In front of him was the really huge cafeteria window giving him a nice view of the garden outside.

"What did you two bet on this time?" Paul asked, not interested actually. His friends had gotten used to Ash making bets with Gary that it seemed ordinary for them.

"Why do you always assume that I'm making bets with Gary? What if we were just catching up or something?" Ash replied, rolling his eyes at them.

"Please, we know you too well to not make bets with Gary," Drew said, "And besides, you hate Gary too much to be catching up with him." To this, Paul nodded in assent.

"Okay, fine. I made a bet with Gary," Ash admitted, sighing in defeat.

"What's it about?" Drew asked excitedly.

"Arceus, you act like a girl more than Dawn does!" Ash told his friend, raising his eyebrow at him. Drew just gave him the "does-it-look-like-I-care" look while Paul glared at Ash.

"You guys are impossible," Paul scoffed, rolling his eyes and resumed to eating his crackers.

"Says the seemingly tough guy who eats crackers," Ash chuckled.

"Whatever," Paul said, biting down on one of his crackers.

"What's the bet about, Ashy-boy? Don't leave me hanging here! Jeez," Drew reminded his cousin.

"I made a bet with Gary that I can get myself a girlfriend before the Seniors' Dance. If I do then he owes me two thousand, five hundred dollars and if I don't, I owe him that money," Ash explained as if it was the most normal bet in the world. Drew and Paul were in silence for a while.

Drew gave him a look of disgust in return.

"What's with the look, Drew?" Ash wondered.

"You just made a bet with the richest kid in school for a girl! Ash you have to realize that you can't practically buy yourself a girlfriend. What are you going to do then?" Drew said, clearly irritated with Ash.

"It's simple. I'll make a girl fall in love with me which seems pretty easy and have her go to the dance with me and then break up with her after. I don't want to pay Gary, you know," Ash nonchalantly said, playing with his cheeseburger.

"You're making a huge mistake, Ketchum," Paul said, shaking his head and biting down on his crackers again.

"Paul's right," Drew replied.

"I'm always right," Paul reminded him. Drew just rolled his eyes and continued scolding his cousin.

"Ash, when will you learn that girls aren't just prizes you win from bets? I know I'm a flirt but I would NEVER bet on a girl. That's completely a jerky thing to do!" Drew almost shouted causing some of the students to look at him.

"Mind your own business! We're planning a game strategy here!" Drew yelled at the students who just shrugged and went back to their business.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Ash said.

"Nothing wrong? What would you do if the girl finds out? What do you think she'll think of you? Ash, you're making a HUGE mistake!" Drew scolded his friend.

"This is my life, Hayden! So I suggest that you just leave me to my business!" Ash retorted irritably at his friend. To Ash, Drew seemed pointless what with all the things he just said. But to Drew and Paul, Ash was being a jerk. It seemed like he saw girls as toys he could play with.

Drew was about to shout again at Ash when Paul stopped him. "Let the kid go. He'll learn his lesson soon."

Drew glared at Ash but sat back down on his seat.

"If you would excuse me, I have to go find myself a date," Ash said, finishing the last of his burger and walking out of the cafeteria.

**-xoOox-**

"So girls, have you decided on who your partners are for the Seniors' dance?" Dawn excitedly asked.

"You seem excited about it. Everyone's been talking nonstop about it since Sir Volkner announced it," Misty replied to her blunette friend. Misty didn't like school dances. In fact, she didn't stay long during their Junior Prom the previous year for two reason: she didn't have a date and she didn't like noisy places.

"I don't have a boyfriend and no one's asked me to go there yet. It's not like I expect anyone to ask me out anyway," May shrugged.

"You guys are such killjoys," Dawn groaned, taking a seat next to Misty.

"It's not our fault that you have the easy life. You're dating Mr. MVP-last-year. People don't even _dare_bully you since they're all sick little cowards who are afraid of your boyfriend," May replied, taking a sip of her juice.

It's true. Ever since Paul asked Dawn out (yeah believe it or not), the bullies didn't dare lay a hand on Dawn. Paul, among his friends, was the most silent but aggressive one of the group. He had lots of adoring fans but nobody dared to feel his wrath.

"I didn't ask him out. He did. And besides, May, I know for a fact that Drew likes you. He likes you like _a lot_. You'd be stupid if you didn't notice it," Dawn pointed out. May blushed for a few seconds but shook it off.

"Then call me stupid because I don't notice his so-called _crush_on me. Besides, I don't like him. He's a flirt," May said indignantly though a part of her was screaming.

"You like Drew. I know that. _We_know that," Dawn said pointing towards her and Misty and continued, "Stop denying it."

"How about you, Misty? Has anyone asked you out?" May asked the brunette, changing the topic.

"Do you actually think anyone would want to ask _me_out? Apparently, all the boys here are too chicken to face me and my mallet," Misty replied.

"Come on, Misty. Don't think too like that. I'm sure there are boys out there who would be happy to have you as a date!" Dawn stated, encouraging her friend.

"Yeah right," Misty muttered to herself.

"Come on, Misty. It's high-time you fix yourself and act like a girl! We'll even help you pick out your dress, do your make up and all those things you're supposed to know how to do but don't want to do!" Dawn encouraged while May, who was now eating a cheeseburger, nodded.

"Puh-lease, I'd rather get zapped right in the face than do any of those," Misty said with a quick roll of her eyes.

Dawn thought for a moment before coming to a quite random conclusion. "You're wishing that _Ash_would ask you out to the dance, aren't you?" Dawn asked teasingly, smirking at her friend. Paul was rubbing off on her.

"No, who the heck told you that?" Misty denied quickly.

"It's pretty obvious, Misty, even Lance couldn't deny it," Dawn said. Lance was their classmate in gym class whom everyone knew as the densest person on earth. Well, at least, the densest person in school.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Misty quickly said as she turned the same color as her hair.

"Please, you're always there in his games. You're like the one who cheers the loudest among all of us. Heck, if only you knew how to do cheerleader stunts, you'd beat the living hell out of Melody when it comes to cheering!" Dawn said in a really funny voice that made her friends laugh.

"I hear Ash doesn't have a partner to the dance yet. All you have to do is be close with him and make him like you," May told her friend as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I already told you that I don't have a thing for him!" Misty retorted, "And besides, why would he even want to go with me? I'm like at the bottom of the food chain… not that I care of anything." It seemed so cliché. She's watched in movies that the popular guys usually ended up with the regular girls but it seemed impossible to her for that to happen.

"Misty, you should learn how to be optimistic," May said.

"Says the one who got completely paranoid after she accidentally threw her shoe on Mr. Drew-freaking-Hayden," Misty scoffed playfully.

"Take that back!" May shouted at her friend.

"Exactly my point," Misty said in a bored way as she took a sip of the canned juice.

"But seriously, Misty, compared to Melody, you have a bigger chance with Ash. You're not obnoxious, you're not anorexic and you're definitely not made of pure bones," Dawn stated.

"So you're saying that I have a bigger chance with Ash than Melody because I'm fatter than her?" Misty asked, a bit enraged.

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! You're not fat but you definitely aren't someone who looks as if she hasn't eaten since birth! You're way prettier than Melody and you know it," Dawn encouraged.

Misty had always appreciated the fact that her friends never made her feel so low. They knew how low Melody treated her and she hated the fact that some students in their school actually listened to Melody.

Truth be told, Misty really was a beautiful teenager. She had bluish-green eyes that seemed to reflect the ocean. Her red hair, if not in its usual ponytail, flowed gracefully down her back. Her milky skin gave more emphasis on her features. She was beautiful, her friends had always told her but she always felt that she wasn't. Living with three beautiful sisters certainly took its toll on her and made her feel very conscious towards her appearance.

"Look, I appreciate you guys making me feel good all the time but I've got no chance. Besides, it's not like I actually expect to have a date for this dance. You know, just like all the other school danced and Prom," Misty told her friends acting as if what she said didn't affect her.

"I wish she wasn't so stubborn," Dawn sighed, looking at May with a sad smile.

**-xoOox-**

Down at the gymnasium, sneakers squeaked on the floor, basketballs bounced, sweat dripped down and the coach was shouting. One last three-point shot was all it took before the coach blew hard on his whistle signalling the break.

"Ketchum, that was one mean three-pointer!" A guy with white hair, not an old man's hair, Brendan, shouted towards Ash who gave a thumbs up, too breathless to shout back. He'd been running around the court for the rest of basketball practice.

"With our great defense and offense skills and Ash's three-pointers, we are definitely sure to win the championship game this March!" Kenny exclaimed, draping a towel over his sweaty neck.

Paul, who was currently drinking from his water bottle, suddenly cringed at Kenny's excited voice. Kenny was Dawn's childhood friend who was extremely close to Dawn which was why Paul didn't seem too fond of him.

"So Ash," Drew said in a hushed voice, audible enough for only Ash to hear, "Have you decided on who your _bet_girl is?"

"Not yet. Why do you care so much about that?" Ash wondered. He was currently dabbing his face with a towel as it was dripping in sweat.

"I'm telling you, this is a bad idea," Drew warned his friend. Seeing that Ash was about to say something, he continued, "But it's your life and I shouldn't care about it." Ash nodded approvingly.

"Hey Ketchum!" Gary called out from the other end of the gymnasium. Drew muttered something under his breath but Ash only understood something that rhymed with 'rubberducking jackass'. Ash jogged towards his 'friend'.

"What's up, Oak?" Ash asked.

"Have you thought about the bet? Is there any girl on your mind now?" Gary asked, glancing at his teammates to see if they were about to practice again.

"I have a couple of choices but I never thought about it deeply," Ash shrugged.

"Oh, well, time's ticking, Ash. You have about 45 days to figure it all out," Gary said. He patted Ash on the shoulder before walking away seeing that the coach called them again.

"I am _not_wasting my $2500 on a stupid bet so I better win this one," Ash muttered to himself before jogging back to the court.

**-xoOox-**

It was dinner time when Ash got home from school. He had showered at school before going home so his hair was still wet. He placed his bag down on the living room floor and went towards the dining room where his 42-year old mother was preparing the table.

"Hey Mom, you're early today," Ash greeted taking a seat on his usual spot in the dining room.

"I'm not early. You're late. Ash, it's seven-thirty in the evening. What took you so long?" Delia asked her son as she placed the food on the table and taking a seat.

"I guess I forgot to tell you. We'll be having basketball practice until six-thirty in the evening every Monday, Wednesday and Friday since championships are nearing," Ash explained, filling his plate with food.

"That's a really dangerous time, Ash. Walking around on your own at night-"

"I'm a man. I'm pretty sure there aren't girls out there to rape me," Ash cut off. His mother just shook her head.

"I mean, there are dangerous people out there. Gangs, criminals and other people, why don't you ride with Drew going home instead of commuting home?" Delia asked.

"I ride with Drew every morning. I think it would be too much if he had to bring me here as well," Ash told his mother.

"I'm just saying that it's dangerous. You shouldn't be walking alone at night. Can't you walk with friends?" Delia questioned her son, her voice filled with concern.

"I won't have to walk if I had a car for myself," Ash muttered loud enough for his mother to hear.

"I already told you, it's your job to save up for a car. You have to learn how to save money like a real adult," Delia said to Ash.

Finishing his food, Ash stood up from his chair and said, "Yeah, sure. I have to go to my room now. I've got lots of homework to do. G'night, mom!" With that, Ash went up to his room while his mom just smiled at him and proceeded to cleaning the table.

"Now, who to take to the dance?" Ash muttered to himself.

He was thinking that he could always ask Melody but she would probably bitch around when they're together plus he didn't want to go around hugging a size negative zero, if there was such, crazy teenager.

His thoughts reverted to his most recent ex-girlfriend, Cassie but he was too pained to even remember her. For goodness sakes, the girl broke up with him saying that she didn't love him anymore.

He thought of Dawn but decided against it. Dawn was really pretty and her blue hair was incredible, he thought. He thought of the different ways that Paul would use to kill him if he tried something on Dawn and chuckled.

Ash continued scrolling down his Facebook friends list on his black Macbook and stopped when a certain name caught his eye.

_"We did have a past together," _he thought to himself as he clicked her name.

Misty Waterflower.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

**I hope you guys liked it! I'm not that good with my grammar yet so correct me if I have any grammatical errors.**

**Reviews are highly appreciated.**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys!

Previously on Trophy (Chapter 2):

_He was thinking that he could always ask Melody but she would probably bitch around when they're together plus he didn't want to go around hugging a size negative zero, if there was such, crazy teenager._

_His thoughts reverted to his ex-girlfriend, Cassie but he was too pained to even remember her. For goodness sakes, the girl broke up with him saying that she didn't love him anymore._

_He thought of Dawn but decided against it. Dawn was really pretty and her blue hair was incredible, he thought. He thought of the different ways that Paul would use to kill him if he tried something on Dawn and chuckled._

_Ash continued scrolling down his Facebook friends list on his black Macbook and stopped when a certain name caught his eye._

_"_We did have a past together_,"__Ash thought to himself and clicked on the name._

_Misty Waterflower._

-xoOox-

"Miss Brown is just so impossible! She gave us a pop quiz that she didn't even teach us. She's like 'it's to prepare you for the next History lesson,'" Misty grumpily said as she stomped the down the corridor with her friends.

Dawn and May just sweat-dropped at their friend who was fuming with rage.

"Not to mention, she gave us homework so now I have to write a no-less-than-1000-words essay about The Civil War or something like that! God, it's like she's going through PMS every single day! Her red hair looks like it was stepped on!" Misty fumed while Dawn and May giggled at their friend's antics.

"She's not the only one who seems to be going through PMS everyday," May muttered causing both her and Dawn to giggle uncontrollably.

"Shut up!" Misty scolded her friends, clearly infuriated.

"Misty, she actually taught that lesson yesterday when you were busy snoozing in class," May reminded. Dawn burst out into laughter seeing the weird expression on Misty's face.

"She actually taught that crap?"

"She even announced the quiz. Misty, you have to stop sleeping in class you know and she was just reminding us of the essay that she gave us two days ago, remember?" May sighed. Misty lived with her three older sisters. They were so noisy at night that Misty barely got any sleep.

"Why are we friends?" Misty grumbled. May just laughed at her friend.

"You could always talk to your sisters about how noisy they are at night," May said, patting her friend's back.

"I wonder what your sisters do at night. Nobody can be _that_noisy at night, right?" Dawn wondered.

"They're always web-chatting with their boyfriends on the internet. It's really getting annoying. Sleeping early at night is probably the most impossible thing to do for them," Misty explained, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Your sisters change boyfriends every month," Dawn said carelessly. It's true. Misty's three older sisters, Lily, Violet and Daisy, were total 'manwhores' as Misty liked to called them for lack of a more decent word.

"True," Misty couldn't help but agree.

May decided to change the topic and turned to Misty, "I heard Ash is looking for a date for the dance. I also heard that he's not taking Melody since she, in his words, annoyed him a lot."

That was news to Misty.

"He is?" Misty asked.

"Dawn heard it from Paul, I heard it from Dawn, make your assumptions," May said.

"You're still on about me and Ash getting together, aren't you?" May just blinked at Misty earning her a slow roll of eyes.

"I am so out of Ash's league and he would probably rather kiss Melody than talk to me," Misty irritably said, "And besides, how do you think is he going to notice me? He hangs out with his team all the time that he barely has time for anyone else."

"Whatever, anyway, where are you headed to?" Dawn asked Misty who was now fixing her old bike's basket which broke earlier.

"I'm going to the bike shop and have this thing repaired," Misty said as she tied the straps of her satchel on her bike handles so it wouldn't fall off.

"You seriously should get a new bike. This thing's totally all busted out," May pointed out. True enough, as she said this, the basket fell again.

Misty sighed. "Easier said than done. I'm using the money I earn from the gym to pay for my tuition and my sisters' love to waste our money on pointless shopping."

"Oh, well, just be careful with this thing, Misty. Busted bikes are the worst!" Dawn exclaimed.

For the nth time that day, Misty rolled her eyes. Of course, Dawn wouldn't know anything about Busted Bikes. She rode in Paul's convertible every single day to school!

"I better get going. I don't want my sisters to ruin my gym equipment again," Misty said as she hopped on the bike. She steadied herself before waving at her two friends and sped off.

It was a nice bike ride. The sunset was beautiful, the wind was cool on her face and best of all, there weren't much cars on the road.

"_Yep, definitely a nice afternoon. Nothing could possibly ruin this," _Misty thought to herself happily, feeling satisfied with the perfect atmosphere.

Or so she thought.

Once again, her bike's basket fell off hitting the wheel causing her to fall off her bike. _"Or not."_

"Stupid bike. Stupid money. Stupid sisters spending my money on their shopping," Misty muttered grumpily to herself as she dusted off her clothes and walked to the nearest pond in sight. "Thank Arceus for this pond."

Misty hooked her bike's stand on the ground so it stood up and soon busied herself with cleaning the dirt on her legs before grabbing a small towel to clean the bike basket with. She was too busy patching up her bike basket that she didn't hear the voices coming from a small distance away from her.

"I told you, Drew, my threes are still stronger than ever!" The first voice shouted causing Misty to sharply turn her head. She was clearly frozen with the voice knowing clearly who it was.

"Ash, you're not usually this weak. Your three-pointer was totally off-direction! If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you stayed up all night," Drew said.

"I did not."

"Which explains why you left my car keys inside the court and now we can't get it 'cause it's locked and why we're walking home tonight," Drew stated while twirling the basketball

"This is pointless. I don't even know why I'm having this discussion with you," Ash gave up, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.

"Definitely sleepy. Take a chill pill man, something's got you worked up. You'll just have to work on your throws so that they'll get stronger," Drew patted Ash on the back in an attempt to cheer him up. Obviously, it didn't work.

"My throws aren't that off-direction. Watch this." Without warning, Ash grabbed the basketball from Drew's hands, took a few steps forward and threw it with his right hand with all the strength that he could muster to somewhere in the distance.

"Great, now we have to look fo-" Ash's sentence was cut off with a shrill cry from somewhere near them.

"AAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY BIKE!" Ash and Drew heard someone scream.

"I'm in trouble," Ash concluded. Drew ran to the source of the scream.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR BASKETBALL DOING, KNOCKING MY BIKE OFF THE GROUND AND TOWARDS THAT POND?!" Misty shouted right in their faces, angered by the fact that her already-broken bike was further damaged.

Ash took a good glance at Misty's bike. The basketball seemed to have hit the bike on it's left pedal, seeing as the left pedal was now broken and the chain near the wheel was broken causing the wheel at the bike's rear to fall off. The bike was plunged in the almost-deep part of the pond.

Drew, thinking quick, ran to the bike and picked up its remnants before bringing it back on the land.

"I'm not an expert on bikes but I'd say that this bike is definitely broken," Drew stated.

"I told you my throw was still in perfect shape," Ash whispered to Drew who glared at him.

"Arceus, damn it! You just destroyed my damned bike, Ketchum!" Misty fumed as she stomped towards Ash grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, bringing his face a little bit closer to hers. Ash, on the other hand, blushed. He certainly felt awkward with having such a close contact with the fiery redhead.

"Ketchum," Misty spat his name out as if it tasted like carrots which she hated very much.

"Y-yes?" Ash nervously asked.

"YOU OWE ME A NEW BIKE! I was just gonna bring this to the repair shop to fix the basket, but NO, you just had to destroy it with your stupid basketball!" Misty shouted right in his face. "Just because you're Mr. Head-of-the-Basketball-Team doesn't mean you have the right to destroy my property!"

"O-okay, c-calm down, Misty. I'll get you a new bike soon!" Ash said in fear. Misty let him go.

"YOU BETTER! This bike caused me a thousand and five hundred!"

"Doesn't look like it," Ash muttered. Unfortunately, Misty's hearing seemed to be quite strong.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" She screamed right at him.

"N-nothing, nothing. I didn't say anything," Ash denied, waving his hands in front of him in fear of Misty hurting him.

"Good. Now, I would appreciate it if you and your friend here help me throw this bike near the dumpster. I couldn't possibly do it all alone," Misty said gently causing both Drew and Ash to sweatdrop.

"Bipolar. Definitely bipolar," Drew stated before helping out Ash and Misty.

"_Of course, I just had to destroy Misty's bike. I wouldn't be surprised if she refuses to hang out with me. But I'm doing this for my car," _were Ash's last thoughts before Misty whacked him in the head.

**-xoOox-**

It's been a week since the bike incident and Misty had been avoiding Ash in fear that he would get mad at her for getting mad at him. But still, you couldn't blame Misty precisely. The boy broke her bike therefore destroying her only means of transportation. She couldn't possibly afford to commute everyday since she only had little allowance.

And so, for the past week, she resorted to walking home. It wasn't that hard to walk home. Misty was a swimmer and her legs were perfectly capable of bringing her home. It was just the fact that it took her almost an hour to get home, not to mention the heavy load she was carrying on her back and the fact that she had chores to do like cook dinner and check up on the gym equipment.

"Misty, you've been looking extremely tired for the past few days. Are you sure you're not sick or anything?" May asked, worry in her eyes.

"Why don't you ask Ash Ketchum?" Misty spat out.

"Not the bike thing again. Seriously Misty, I'm totally fine with bringing you home from school everyday," May offered, just like she'd been doing the past few days but Misty was stubborn and refused to accept any kind of help.

"Thanks for the offer, May but-"

"But you're not going to accept my offer because you're so damn stubborn," was May's response. Misty just nodded and went back to eating her lunch while reading her History notes.

"Hey Misty!" Misty froze at the voice. She knew who it was. In fact, she was just talking about him. What on earth would _he _want now?

She slowly looked over her shoulder to see no other than Ash Ketchum standing about two feet behind her. May grinned nervously at their friend.

"Er.. I gotta go do my Math homework now in the library. See you later, Misty," May said before standing up and leaving quickly.

"_May __hates __the library,"_Misty thought to herself.

"Um, hello? I'm still here, you know," Ash greeted nervously, waving a hand in front of Misty's thinking face.

"What do you want? Are you here to destroy my property again?" Misty angrily said as she sent him a glare that screamed death.

"No, um, I was, uh, thinking that, um.." Ash trailed off. First, he destroys her bike then this. He couldn't help but feel guilty. But a huge part of him was screaming "car!" at him so he just had to do this.

"Well, what do you want, Ketchum? Don't leave me waiting!" Misty shouted at him out of impatience.

Ash gulped. "So I was thinking that, uh, would it be too much if I ask you to tutor me in History? I, uh, almost failed Miss Brown's quiz and since you're the one who got an A+ on that quiz, I figured that you'd be great for a tutor," Ash explained, smiling at her.

"_The nerve of this guy. First, he destroys my bike and doesn't pay me back and now he's asking for my help as if nothing happened the past week! That jerk!" _Misty thought.

"Hello?" Ash called out again but to no avail.

"If I tutor you, do you promise to pay me for my bike?" Misty asked.

"I was afraid of this," Ash muttered.

"What was that?!" Misty shouted once again, her impatience rising.

"I said yes." _DAMN, KETCHUM. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE MONEY._

Misty narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. Ash gulped once more. "I thought you got a B+ on that quiz? What would you need tutoring for?"

"_Oh crap," _Ash thought.

"No, I didn't. Um… Miss Brown gave me the wrong paper. Uh, I got a C. My mom got mad at me for getting a C so she told me to get myself a tutor. I was told you perfected that test so I thought that maybe you could help me," Ash said in a rush.

"_Damn it, Ash. What would she think of you? A momma's boy?"_Ash thought irritably to himself.

Misty was still suspicious but, nonetheless, she agreed to help him.

"Great! I was thinking maybe at my place? I mean if you're not busy or anything. Seven o'clock is a good time for me so how about that? You can ride with me if you want," Ash suggested.

"_Well, it would save me from walking home,_" Misty thought to herself.

"Okay, Ash," Misty agreed.

"That's settled then. See you later!" Ash told her before he left to which Misty just nodded again, still processing what she had just agreed to.

"Stupid Ketchum," she muttered but this time she couldn't help but let out a small smile.

From behind the cafeteria post, May was keeping herself from laughing until a certain grasshead spotted her.

"What is your deal?" Drew wondered curiously as he eyed May like she was some kind of drug-addict.

"What's it to you?" May huffed before she left, leaving Drew to chuckle and shake his head.

-xoOox-

"Where have you been?" Drew asked as Ash took a seat on his usual spot while Paul was once again eating his protein crackers, not really caring that Ash had already come back from where he was.

"You sound like some sick, worried girlfriend, Drew," Ash stated causing Paul to snort but remained quiet.

"I'm not. I'm just wondering!" Drew scoffed.

"If you guys want to know, then I went over to Misty to ask her to tutor me in History later after school," Ash told them. Drew nearly choked on his drink while Paul just raised his eyebrow.

"So I see she's your _bet_girl then?" Paul asked.

"How did you know? What if I was just being friendly?"

"Ash, you're good at History and you know it. You got a B+ on that quiz earlier," Paul said knowingly. Ash was just speechless while Drew shook his head.

"First, you break her bike and now you're practically begging her to do you a favor. You're a jerk, you should know that," Drew pointed out.

"It's not like I have a choice or anything," Ash said, not really thinking through his answer.

"You're a jerk," Paul finally spoke up glaring at the teen.

"Says the guy who's practically a jerk to everyone," Ash said, glaring at Paul as well.

"I don't play around with girls like that for money unlike you, Ketchum!" Paul growled, enraged at his friend.

"Since when did you care?" Ash asked Paul angrily.

"You're making a really big mistake, Ash," Seeing that Ash was about to retort, Paul continued, "But it is _your_life, so I'll just wait until your plan with the girl backfires at you."

"You're annoying."

"At least, I don't go playing around with a girl's heart and planning to break it into pieces," Paul retorted airily. Ash was about to say something once more but decided to just shut up.

"So," Drew started, trying to relieve the tension between the two, "What was Coach Surge saying yesterday? Something about a new game plan for the championships?"

"Yeah, I think that's what he said. I don't really recall," Ash said, still glaring daggers at Paul.

"He was saying something about a two-man defense or something like that," Paul replied, glaring coldly at Ash.

Drew sighed and just shut up, resuming to eating his food.

-xoOox-

"Hey Misty!" A high-pitched voice called out from behind the gym lockers. Misty cringed at the high tone and squinted her eyes. And who was the owner of the voice?

"Melody," Misty growled as she looked at the brown-haired girl with such distaste, "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I'm just checking if you're still in one piece. After all, we jogged twice around the gym. You must feel _really_tired, don't you? I hear Ash broke your bike. He did you a favor, you know. Finally, you get to rid of those fats!" Melody teased.

"Did you just call me fat?" Misty replied angrily, standing up from her previous crouching position.

"Pretty much," Melody airily huffed, folding her arms.

Misty shook in fury as she slammed her locker shut. "Listen here, Melody, I don't give a damn on what you think of me or my weight or anything at all. You better watch it! Just because you're Miss Popular doesn't mean you can tower over me like I'm some kind of monster waiting on its prey. So, if you'll excuse me, Miss Bones, I have a class to go to."

"Well, what are you guys looking at? Go back to your business!" Melody shouted at her classmates who turned their attention to her. There were a couple of murmurs going on and some whispers of 'Hypocrite' .

"Wow, Misty, you totally served Melody!" May praised her friend, giving her a light pat on the back.

"She annoyed me calling me fat and all! She can tease me about anything but my weight!" Misty exclaimed. May chuckled at her friend.

"It's Melody. She's not Melody if she's not annoying. Besides, you should be thankful that you're not a size negative made of pure bones," May comforted her friend.

"I guess so," Misty replied.

"Now that I comforted you, it's time that you tell me something!" May told her friend.

"What is it?"

"What did Ash tell you?"

"Oh, he was just asking me something. It's not a big deal," Misty waved it off.

"If it's not a big deal then you shouldn't be blushing," May said knowingly.

"I'm not blushing!" Misty shouted at her friend in denial.

"Okay, chill," May said, sweatdropping.

"He just asked me to tutor him in History after school over at his place. Like I said, no big deal," Misty nonchalantly said.

"So you're both going to his place after school to study? Definitely a study date," May concluded.

"It's not."

"It is."

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"May!" Misty shouted at her friend, the blush on her cheeks never left.

"Are you excited? You should totally tell me about it tomorrow! You better wear something cute for him and you sh-"

"May! It's not a date. We're there ONLY to study," Misty told her friend, panicking inside because she was worried that someone might hear their conversation.

"Right, that's what you _want_me to think. Oh well, Misty, I'm on my next class so see you later!" Misty beamed at her friend before running to her next class.

Deep down inside, Misty was actually excited for later's activities. But she was too stubborn to admit it.

-xoOox-

"So this is where Ash lives! It looks pretty cozy!" Misty said to no one in particular. She stood in front of the two-storey, mocha-brown and white house. In front of the gate was a golden-yellow car parked in an angle that suggests that the owner might be leaving again. The garden in front was filled with flowers and blooming plants.

"Ash sure lives in a nice house!" Misty exclaimed. She walked up towards the front gate and rang the doorbell twice before stepping back. After a few seconds, she was answered by Ash.

"Hello, Misty!" He greeted, a grin plastered on his handsome face.

"Hi, Ash! You have a nice house," Misty commented.

"Thank you, come in!" Ash said, leading Misty inside after closing the gate. The inside looked even more beautiful. The walls were painted a plain white with frames hanging on some parts. The red carpet was clean and so was the un-carpeted part of the floor.

The whole first floor was separated in two parts by a wall in the middle. The sofa was placed at the side leaning against the wall in front of the fireplace where a flat-screen plasma TV hungg on the wall just above the fireplace. There were one-man sofas on either side of the couch facing each other while a small table was in front of the couch and a side table on the couch's left.

There was a black baby grand piano near the door and in front of this really huge window. It seemed brand new to May.

On the other side of the wall, there was a dining table with eight seats. A buffet table leaned against the separating wall and on top were framed pictures of Ash, some of his relatives and his mom. There were cabinets, a stove, a refrigerator and a small counter behind the dining room to which Misty figured as the kitchen.

"It's even better here inside!" Misty told the young man. Ash smiled at her and led her to the stairs between the door and the 'shoe room' as she put it.

Upon entering Ash's room, Misty immediately noticed the two guitars, one acoustic and one electric, hanging on the wall. His room wasn't too big nor too small. In fact, it seemed big enough to accommodate at least five people with enough space left.

"You play guitar?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I took lessons before," Ash said, sitting down on his bed and grabbing some of his books from his bag beside the bed.

"So how about I tutor you now?" Misty suggested. Ash nodded and turned to a certain chapter of their history book.

After a few moments of learning about the French Revolution, they finally got tired of digesting the information in their minds and decided to just talk.

"So, is your mom here? I haven't seen her yet," Misty asked. Ash frowned.

"She usually comes home at nine-thirty in the evening so I'm alone here at home most of the time," Ash explained. "My sisters and I run a gym somewhere along this area. But our main gym's over at Cerulean City. My parents run the gym there but they visit us from time to time," Misty told Ash.

"You're lucky to have a complete family. My mom and dad got divorced before I could even walk or something so my mom raised me by myself," Ash said. Somehow, Misty felt a pang in her heart and felt sorry for Ash.

"You've got lots of friends, I'm sure they're enough to make up for your…uh…yeah, to make up for what you just said," Misty nervously said, rubbing her arm out of habit.

"Yeah, I guess you're right with that and I usually go to Drew's place when I'm extremely bored. It's fun pranking that guy you know," Ash chuckled lightly at the thought of pranking Drew. Misty just smiled at Ash.

After a few moments of silence, Misty decided to speak up, "Have you decided on whom you're taking to the Seniors' Dance?"

"Sadly, no," Ash said, shaking his head.

"Don't feel down, I haven't decided as well," Misty said with a giggle. She looked at her watch and it was already 9 in the evening.

"I better go now, Ash. It's late and I don't wanna get home too late," Misty said, standing up and grabbing her stuff. She faced Ash sharply and narrowed her eyes. "I did have a bike, you know."

"I already said I was sorry Misty. If it makes you feel better, I could bring you home since it's dark and all," Ash offered.

"Please, you don't even have a car!" Misty argued.

"Meh, I could always borrow Drew's car," Ash said with a shrug.

"Okay then. Lead the way, Ketchum," Misty responded. Ash led her outside his house and they walked in silence to Drew's house. Since Ash had the keys to Drew's place, he simply went through the front door, grabbed Drew's car keys and took his car.

"Lead the way, Waterflower," Ash said, mimicking Misty's words from awhile ago. Misty smiled at him and got on the passenger's seat.

"Glad to."

The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

"Well, here we are, Waterflower residence. Thanks, Ash!" Misty gratefully said before walking to the front door and reaching for her keys.

"Oh and Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"We should definitely hang out more," was Ash's last statement before he drove off. Misty just stood on the porch watching as the car drove off the distance.

"Yeah, we should. Like old times," Misty whispered to herself before stepping inside the house.

"_Watch out, Oak, I'm getting that car," _Ash assured himself.

-xoOox-

END OF CHAPTER 3

So that was a pretty corny ending and I think some characters were too OOC but this story wouldn't work if they weren't OOC at some point.

What do you guys think?

Did I write Ash as too much of a jerk?

I hope you guys like this chapter! I'll upload the next one as soon as I can.

I'll try this once, alright? Review goal: 15

Thank you! Bye xo


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys!

Previously on Trophy (Chapter 3):

_The rest of the trip was spent in silence._

"_Well, here we are, Waterflower residence. Thanks, Ash!" Misty gratefully said before walking to the front door and reaching for her keys._

"_Oh and Misty?" _

"_Yeah?"_

"_We should definitely hang out more," was Ash's last statement before he drove off. Misty just stood on the porch watching as the car drove off the distance._

"_Yeah, we should. Like old times," Misty whispered to herself before stepping inside the house._

"Watch out, Oak, I'm getting that car_," Ash assured himself._

-xoOox-

"Spill it, Misty! Tell us everything from the moment you got there until the moment that you left!" May demanded while Misty sweat-dropped at her friend's anxiety.

Dawn, on the other hand, was busy drawing a draft for her La Finale dress.

"Dawn, any help here! I could use your help right now. May's going to kill me if I don't tell her what happened yesterday!" Misty said in panic.

"I'm drawing my dress here, Misty. I suggest you just tell May everything to stop her from attacking you," Dawn shrugged. Misty frowned at her friend.

"Some friend you are," Misty grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on, Misty! Just spill!" May pushed more.

"Come on, May!" Misty mocked her friend's action with a wave of her hands. "Do you really have to know what happened yesterday?" Misty sighed tiredly.

"Yes! We happen to be your friends so we want to know what's up with our little Misty!" May responded.

"Okay fine," Misty gave up, sighing in defeat. May dropped to the chair next to Misty and waited anxiously for the story.

"So I got to Ash's house and boy was it so nice! The garden was so pretty and everything in there was so pretty! It seemed too big though since he only lives with his mother so that makes two of them in the house and he's usually alone-" Misty started only to be cut off by May.

"Ash is a rich guy! His mom owns this really large company that sells dermatology materials. I'm not surprised that he lives in a big house," May interrupted. Misty gave her a glare.

"Anyway, we went up to his room-"

"This is getting so exciting!" May cut her off once again.

"May!"

"Sorry," May laughed sheepishly.

"We went up to his room and it was so awesome! He had two guitars, a black one and a blue one. He told me that he took lessons," Misty continued.

"I wish I knew how to play the guitar. You're lucky that you know how to play that thing!" May pouted playfully. Misty raised her eyebrow at May in annoyance. May just grinned.

"Anyway, we started studying and I have to say, he's a good listener! He understood everything I taught him right away!" Misty said. She was oblivious to the fact that Ash did not have any trouble with History at all.

"After that, we got bored of studying so we decided to just talk about stuff! I told him about my family and he told me about his family," Misty explained.

"What did you learn about his family?" May asked.

"He told me that his parents got divorced when he was too young to even walk and that his mom usually comes home late at night so he's usually alone in that house," Misty explained sadly.

"That's sad," May said, wiping a fake tear causing Misty to giggle at her. "What else?"

"He goes to Drew's place when he's bored. That's all he told me last night about himself," Misty replied. She sighed, deciding whether to tell May about what Ash told her the previous night. She figured that May would probably freak out.

"What else happened last night? Come on! I have a feeling you're not telling me everything," May persisted.

Misty shrugged. "He drove me back home and told me that we should…uh, hang out, um, more often." Dawn suddenly looked up from what she was doing.

"He told you that you guys should hang out more often? Oh, my God! He likes you!" Dawn blurted out loudly. Misty was thankful that they were outside so not many people heard what Dawn said.

"He doesn't like me! Maybe he just found me interesting and wanted to hang out with me more often! Dawn, don't jump into conclusions!" Misty said in a rushed voice.

"Please, you expect me to believe that? Paul and I got together because of that. We were like doing a project together and he was like, 'Hey Troublesome, we should hang out more often,' Dawn said in her best impression of Paul, "We hung out and eventually, we started dating and here we are now two years later."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence!" Misty defended.

"Can you believe it? If you and Ash started dating, you guys and Paul and I can have a double date and-" But Dawn's ecstasy was cut off when May coughed purposely.

"Excuse me, what about me?" May snarled.

"If you and Drew get together then we can all have a group date!" Dawn exclaimed, twirling a strand of blue lock on her finger.

"Oh, Dawn, you and your impossible fantasies." Misty could do nothing but sigh at her friend.

"Come on, Misty! Lighten up and think of the bright side for once," Dawn insisted.

"I do think of the bright side! I just find it too fast for you guys to assume that he likes me when he only told me that we should hang out more often," Misty explained.

"Come on, Misty! You should think about it. As far as I know, Ash never asked people for help and he happened to ask you for help in History. Misty, that must mean something!" May told her friend.

"May's got a point, Misty," Dawn agreed.

"You guys are putting too much thought into this," Misty sighed. "It's normal for people with troubled grades to ask for help from others."

"Yeah right, Misty. Ash never failed a subject," May said knowingly.

"He didn't fail History. He told me that he almost failed and his mom would get mad at him if it happened again," May told her friends.

"Anyway, I'm excited to see what happens between you guys," Dawn squealed in delight. May laughed a little while Misty just rolled her eyes.

-xoOox-

Misty was putting stuff in her lockers silently. She was still thinking about last night. It's not everyday that you get to study with some hot athlete. She lightly blushed as she continued thinking about last night's events.

She then thought about what May and Dawn had told her earlier. It was true that Ash barely asked for help from people whom he wasn't close to.

But then again, what Ash told her kept repeating on her mind. _"We should hang out more often."_ Misty smiled as she recalled what Ash had told her. Ever since she moved back to Viridian three years ago, she no longer had the chance to hang out with Ash since they both were busy. Misty with her gym and Ash with his training. It remained a fantasy for Misty that she and Ash would ever have their once tight friendship back.

"_It's like he doesn't even remember me being his best friend,_" Misty thought sadly to herself.

"So I heard you studied with Ash last night? Is it true?" Misty frowned as soon as she heard the high-pitched voice of the girl she hated the most. She grabbed her books and slammed her locker shut.

"What do you want, Melody?" Misty scoffed.

"I just want to know if it's true that you were with Ash last night," Melody said, eyeing the redhead in front of her.

"Yeah, I was studying with him last night. What's it to you?" Misty asked, glaring at Melody.

Melody glared back at Misty and growled, "You better stay away from him. Ash is mine!"

"Please, like he would ever like you!" Misty retorted.

"As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't like you either so we're pretty even right now!" Melody replied with the same fury as Misty.

"What do you want, Melody? Why are you always on me like this? What the hell did I even do to you?" Misty sighed tiredly. She was tired of dealing with Melody almost everyday. She had been wondering how Melody manages to annoy her all the time.

"I'm just here to warn you that Ash is mine and if you ever get your hands on him, you're dead meat, Waterflower!" Melody shouted at her.

"I'm not even doing anything to Ash. We're not even dating. I suggest you bring that paranoid mind of yours somewhere else because I don't need you ruining my day," Misty calmly spoke up, enraging Melody even more.

"Stay away from Ash, Waterflower. He's mine," Melody growled, glaring at Misty. She stormed off leaving a confused Misty.

"What's her problem?" Misty muttered to herself. She walked down the corridor not really looking at where she was going and bumped into something- or more like someone. She bounced back a little and almost fell until a hand caught her arm.

"You should probably watch where you're going next time, Misty," Misty heard the owner of the voice speak. She looked up and found Ash staring at her with an expression as if he was about to laugh.

Misty quickly stood up straight and brushed her clothes. A blush was present on her cheeks due to the embarrassment. How could she be so clumsy and bump into her crush?

"_I am SO stupid. What would Ash think of me now? A klutz?" _Misty thought to herself before smiling at Ash.

"Sorry about that." Misty chuckled a little, "I wasn't looking where I was going. I was deep in thought."

"Obviously," Ash scoffed playfully. Misty shoved him playfully followed by a light giggle but soon regretted her actions. _"Ash must be thinking that I'm flirting with him. Ugh, I'm so stupid!" _Misty mentally slapped herself.

"You alright? You're spacing out on me… again," Ash stated. He ran his hand at the back of his hair showing that he was a bit nervous.

Snapping out of her trance, she beamed at him and said, "It's nothing."

"Uh, okay." Ash suddenly grinned widely as he thought of an idea. "Since you're already here, I was wondering if you could tutor me again tonight. I didn't really understand Miss Brown's lesson a while ago."

May smiled genuinely at Ash and said, "Sure. How about my place after your training or something?"

"That would be nice," Ash told her.

-xoOox-

"I have to tidy my room and myself. Ash is going to be here in a few minutes and I'm still a mess!" Misty said in a panicked voice, hysterically combing her hair while fixing her bed.

Misty was never one to fix her room. She usually left it to Lily, her surprisingly neat-freak sister, to do it for her but she wanted to leave a good impression on Ash so she cleaned her room. She went home early and quickly took a shower, cleaning herself thoroughly and spraying perfume all over herself. She brushed her teeth so much to the point that a part of her gums started to bleed so she gargled and brushed her teeth again.

She noticed how peculiar her behaviour was but it was none of her worries now. But, apparently, another member of the family noticed this weird behaviour.

"Misty, any particular reason why you're, like, cleaning your room? I find it, like, rather odd. Usually, I'd do it," her pink-haired older sister asked smartly. Misty smiled nervously at her.

"My friend's coming over and I don't want to look like a mess, Lily," Misty told her sister nervously.

"Dawn and May, like, come here all the time, how come you, like, never fix your room when they're here?" Lily wondered once more until a mischievous grin overcame her face.

"Is your friend, like, a boy?" Misty asked, deviously grinning at Misty. Misty froze but managed to blurt out a 'NO' before shoving Lily out of her room.

"Is it that guy Ash? You know, your, like, tutee?" Lily asked once again slyly. Misty glared at Lily.

"What if it was Ash?"

"I knew it! No wonder you're, like, blushing." With Lily's comment being said, Misty's hand flew to her face, feeling her cheeks which were terribly hot.

For once, Misty had no comeback to her sister's teasing.

"Oh, my gosh, like, Daisy! Violet! Misty's got, like, a crush!" Lily screamed at the top of her lungs. Not more than five seconds later, two other ladies rushed to Misty's room.

"Oh, em gee, are you, like, serious? Our little sister has a crush?" Daisy, the oldest of the four with beautiful blonde hair, inquired.

"Misty grew up so fast," Violet, the second child who had the most dazzling blue hair, said while wiping a fake tear in her eye.

"Arceus, shut up!" Misty blurted out before pushing the three out of her room and slamming the door.

_DING! DING! DING!_

The sudden ringing almost made Misty jump in surprise. Her mind was screaming and her cheeks were flustered. She felt hot, literally. She started sweating and trembling from nervousness. Surely, she mustn't be nervous having studied with Ash before but she couldn't help it. It was the first time that Ash would be entering her humble abode. Hospitable was never a trait of Misty.

Misty quickly made a run towards the front door only to find her three sisters in front of a very confused Ash.

"So, are you, like, the guy who's dating our sister?"

"You must be, Ash Ketchum! Oh, my gosh, why would someone as hot as you decide to date our, like, runty, little sister?!"

"If I were a few years younger and single, I would totally date you!"

Before Lily, Violet and Daisy could even embarrass Misty further, she quickly ran to the door, the blush never leaving her face.

"Lily, Violet, Daisy! Step out of the doorway and let _my _guest enter!" Misty barked at her sisters who chuckled before leaving. Daisy ruffled Misty's hair and winked at Ash before leaving the room.

"Stupid sisters," Misty muttered to herself as she shut the door. She then turned to Ash and offered him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that. My sisters tend to be flirty around hot guys," Misty said. As she realized her mistake, she quickly added, "I mean they tend to be flirty around all guys."

Ash chuckled. "So, what's up, Misty?"

"Apart from my sisters, I'm good. You?"

"Never better," he said gleefully as both went inside Misty's room.

"So, uh, Ash," Misty clasped her hands behind her back and swung her right heel on the floor a couple of times as she usually did when she was nervous. "Really, I'm sorry about my sisters. They're annoying, I swear."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Ash said, "Sibling rivalry never gets old."

"I thought you were an only child?" Misty asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed with Ash next to her.

"I am. But Drew has a sister, Denise. They always fight with each other. Bicker here, bicker there, bicker everywhere. It's like they never run out of insults to shout at each other," Ash said. Misty laughed a little.

"My sisters always love to bother me with everything whenever they're here," Misty told him.

"They seem nice," Ash said thinking that it was the proper response. Misty, on the other hand, just shook her head.

Silence ensued. Neither didn't have any idea what to say next.

Ash looked around the room. Apparently, Misty's room was full of pink. Pink walls, pink cabinets, light pink curtains and pink bed sheets.

"You know, I never thought of you as someone who'd sleep in a pink room. You're more like a blue person," Ash pointed out. Misty raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"I mean I never expected you to have even a tinge of girlishness in you. I'm just surprised, that's all, but it's cool," Ash said.

"It's not that I love pink or anything. I just find it quite warming and easy on the eyes." Misty added, "Just because I've got a pink room doesn't mean that I'm a girlish person."

What Ash said next caught Misty off guard.

"You're pretty interesting, Mist," Ash said using his oh-so-famous nickname for Misty which he had used when they were younger.

"Really? You're pretty interesting yourself too, Ash," Misty replied, finding herself blushing at what Ash had called her and not what he had thought of her. _"It's been years since he last called me 'Mist'." _

"You should watch our practice game next Saturday. We're going to have a short game with the Pewter Jaguars to prepare ourselves for the championships against them next month," Ash offered. Misty smiled at him and nodded.

"I'd love to!" Misty exclaimed a little too excitedly.

"Then, I'll be seeing you again on Saturday," Ash said. Misty beamed happily at Ash before both had started studying.

Oh how interesting Saturday would be.

-xoOox-

END OF CHAPTER 4

What do you guys think?

I'll update as soon as I can but not this weekend. I'm a bit busy this weekend or week. But I will update once I can.

Reviews are highly appreciated. Not to be conceited or something but it does make me feel inspired when I see the review numbers going high.

Thank you! Bye xo


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys!

Previously on Trophy (Chapter 4):

_"You're pretty interesting, Mist," Ash said using his oh-so-famous nickname for Misty which he had used when they were younger._

_"Really? You're pretty interesting yourself too, Ash," Misty replied, finding herself blushing at what Ash had called her and not what he had thought of her."It's been years since he last called me 'Mist'."_

_"You should watch our practice game next Saturday. We're going to have a short game with the Pewter Jaguars to prepare ourselves for the championships against them next month," Ash offered. Misty smiled at him and nodded._

_"I'd love to!" Misty exclaimed a little too excitedly._

_"Then, I'll be seeing you again on Saturday," Ash said. Misty beamed happily at Ash before both had started studying._

_Oh how interesting Saturday would be._

Trophy

Chapter 5

"Okay girls, let's take it from the top! Go to your first positions. And remember, stiff but graceful! We don't need anyone falling off again!" Melody reminded her cheerleading team, being the captain.

The whole cheering squad did the routine a couple more times until they perfected it. Somersault here, somersault there, cartwheels everywhere and a lot more stunts and then they were done.

"Let's take a break, girls! Be back in 5," Melody ordered. As the members of the cheerleading team went out for the breaks, Melody went outside the gym to look for Ash.

"…go look for a car now, Gary, because I think this bet is mine for the taking!" A cheerful, boyish voice said. Melody quickly knew that this was Ash. She hid behind the post as Gary and Ash started talking in secret near the gym.

"Yeah, right? I think not," Gary scoffed followed by a flip of his brown hair..

"Really? I just found myself a girl. All I have to do now is win her heart," Ash said with a hint of arrogance in his voice. Of course, Ash would be very arrogant at this point. He was _very_close to getting his car.

"As if!"

"I did! She tutors me in History almost everyday. Besides, we've known each other since we were like what? Eight? This bet is so easy, Gare-bear. It's like she thinks I'm her best friend again," Ash boasted while using Gary's most embarrassing nickname.

"Just because she's your childhood friend and tutors you in History and thinks you're this close to being her best friend, doesn't mean she's automatically your girlfriend. Ever thought that maybe she's just being nice?" Gary told Ash who rolled his eyes.

"I invited her to the practice match on Saturday and she said she's gonna be there. I plan on asking her out a few days from now so you better ready your money, Oak," Ash snapped. Gary chuckled at him.

"Fine then but remember that this bet goes on until the La Finale so until then, you better do a good job with her," Gary said, "What's her name?"

"I'll do a good job on her, of course. I'm not reckless like Drew," Ash replied, "Her name's Misty Waterflower." Gary's eyes widened a bit but smirked.

"I see you went for the fiery one. Tasty," Gary stated. Ash nodded and smirked back.

"Got that right," Ash said proudly.

"So Misty's just part of Ash and Gary's bet," Melody whispered to herself and smiled deviously. "I can't wait to see her reaction when she finds out."

Melody walked back in the gym to continue cheerleading practice. Before entering the doors, she mumbled to herself once again, "Maybe I'll just tell her before the dance and Ash will finally be mine." She chuckled sarcastically as she pushed her way through the gym doors.

"Okay girls, let's continue!" Melody called out to her co-cheerleaders with a new sense of confidence in her.

-xoOox-

"Misty, like, where are you going?" Violet asked. Misty was currently busy fixing her bag early that Saturday morning. She woke up early and was very excited to see Ash Ketchum play basketball later. It was her first time to watch a practice match so she made sure that she was ready for it.

"Ash invited me to watch his team's practice match against the Pewter Jaguars in a while," Misty responded, slightly irritated at her sister for interrupting her.

"So you're going on a date again with Ash?" Violet asked slyly. Misty rolled her eyes.

"It's not a date, Vi. I said I'm going to watch his game later, NO DATE," Misty replied, shaking her head at her sister.

"It hasn't even been, like, a week and you're already going out with him. My Misty's really growing up," Violet fake cried while wiping a tear in her eye.

"I already told you! It's not a date!" Misty threw her hands in the air out of exasperation.

"That's what you want me to think," Violet said before leaving her little sister who simply shook her head and resumed to packing her things.

-xoOox-

Misty wandered around the covered courts that both teams were playing at. She was looking for Ash since it was awkward being alone there. The cheerleaders were everywhere chatting with their friends.

She was looking around when she bumped into someone. She looked up and saw that she bumped into the one she was looking for.

"Hey Ash!" Misty greeted cheerfully.

"What's up, Misty? I'm glad you could come!" Ash replied with a smile plastered on his face. He was wearing his blue and yellow jersey with the number and his last name on the back.

"Of course, I'm here! I'd love to watch you play!" Misty said excitedly.

"Well, now that you're here, I'd love for you to see me kick some ass out there. The game's starting in about fifteen minutes," Ash told her. Misty nodded excitedly.

Ash took her to the bleachers as they continued to catch up on one another.

"You know, I've never been invited to a practice match before so I, uh, r-really feel honoured that you, uh, made me come here," Misty stuttered, blushing furiously. Ash grinned at her.

"My pleasure! Besides, it's really boring seeing the same faces everytime we have a practice match so I realized that I need to see something new –on your case, someone new," Ash explained. The smile never left Misty's face since she saw Ash. Her cheekbones were hurting a bit from smiling but it's not like Misty cared about that.

"Misty? You wanna go out for lunch with me later after the match? Paul's busy with his college test thing later and Gary says he's going to busy himself later by washing his car so I thought that maybe I could take you to lunch after," Ash said, scratching the back of his neck.

Misty smiled. "Of course, I'll go with you," she said, a blush creeping once again on her face.

"Great! Wait for me here after the game while I freshen up, alright? I don't want to be all sweaty for our lunch together," Ash said, chuckling.

_Together. _The word kept ringing on Misty's mind. She smiled shyly outside but was exploding inside. She never thought that this day would come.

"Got it!" Misty saluted playfully at him. Ash laughed a little and checked the time on his sports watch.

"I better go. Coach Roark would probably get mad at me," Ash said, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh right, well, see you later! Good luck, Ash!" Misty said. Ash nodded and ran back to his team.

-xoOox-

It was the last quarter of the practice game and the Pewter Jaguars were leading by 5. It wasn't that big of a lead but it was enough to get the gears on Coach Roark exploding.

"Come on, is that all you've got? We have three minutes left of that clock and we're down by 5! I told you, defense! Keep your eyes on the ball!" Roark shouted at his team, who were huddled up together during one of their timeouts.

"Coach, don't you think we should let Ketchum rest now? He's been playing since first quarter. The guy's extremely exhausted!" Drew told his coach, eyeing his cousin, who was breathing rapidly and was pale white.

"He's our best defense so he's staying in the game!" Roark retorted.

"Coach, this is crazy! Ketchum here's gonna fall any minute now. You have to let him rest!" Paul insisted, glaring at his coach.

"I said no! He's our best shot so I'm not removing him from the game! We're losing and it's not my fault that Ritchie didn't come today!" Roark angrily said. Paul shook his head as he eyed Ash.

"Don't worry guys, I can still play. Really!" Ash forced himself to say. In all honesty, Ash was actually tired. His legs were numb and he was already slightly dizzy. But he didn't want to give up on the game. The Pewter Jaguars was one of the toughest teams in Kanto and he didn't want to see his team lose to them.

Trip, he was the Pewter Jaguars team captain and Ash hated him with a passion. They've been rivals since third grade until Trip moved to Pewter much to Ash's joy.

And here they are now, facing each other in a practice match. For Ash, it was a great way to study his opponents' tactics even if it meant tiring himself. Being a team captain, he had to know what his team was up against. He had to think of ways to counter their opponents' tactics and that required more than just a basketball game.

"Ash, you shouldn't be forcing yourself. You can't even walk straight anymore. You've been playing for over 30 minutes straight and you haven't even been resting properly these past two weeks! You are in no condition to be tiring out yourself!" Drew yelled at his cousin, sounding concerned.

"I said I'm fine!" Ash indignantly said as he went over to the bench and drank from his bottle of water while he rested his head on the palm of his hand, his elbow on his knee.

"Time's up! We're back to the game and the ball stays with the Viridian Hawks!" The commentator announced through the microphone.

Paul currently had the ball and was driving it quickly towards the hoop until he was surrounded by two members of the Jaguars. Thinking quickly, he faked a pass and drove towards the hoop again, doing a perfect lay-up.

The Hawks were now down by three and it was already the last two minutes. The ball was with the Jaguars until Ash stole the ball from them quickly and brought it towards the hoop.

His vision shook as he tried to shoot the ball, completely missing the shot. He blinked furiously trying to regain his perfect vision. He held his face on his palm as he massaged his temples. He was completely dizzy and knew that he was about to fall if he continued running the rest of the game. His teammates, on the other hand, looked at him with concern.

"Ketchum, what the hell's wrong with you? You can shoot better than that!" Roark shouted from the side. On the bleacher above, Misty was looking worriedly at Ash, her hands clasped in front of her in a praying position.

Ash wasn't even running straight anymore!

It was the last minute of the game and the Hawks were still down by three. Drew had the ball and was having a hard time bringing it towards their hoop. Among his members, Ash was the only open one but he didn't want to give Ash a hard time anymore.

Roark was shouting at Drew to give it to Ash but he refused. His cousin's health was more important. At the last minute, he tried shooting the ball only to be blocked by his Jaguar opponent.

The Jaguar member drove the ball towards their side of the court and shooting it easily at the three-point mark. The Hawks were now down by 6 and it was the last twenty seconds.

The ball was now with the Hawks.

As if the gears in Ash started spinning again, he quickly drove the ball down towards their hoop and aimed for a three-pointer. He was successful but they were still down by three.

It was the last ten seconds and the Hawks tried their best to steal the ball.

_BEEEEP!_

The buzzer sounded signaling that the game has ended. The score was 57 to 54 in favour of the Jaguars much to the Hawks' dismay.

Despite losing, the team members were giving each other satisfied high fives and pats on the back.

Unfortunately, losing was not good for Coach Roark. He shook his head disappointingly at his team before giving them his speeches.

"We lost to the Jaguars again. This was our second practice game and we lost again! How do you think we'll do during the championships, huh? We're less than a month away!" Roark shouted at his team. Paul rolled his eyes at his coach while the others were staring intently at Roark.

"We're training on Saturdays as well and if you can't handle that then you might as well get out of my team! The Jaguars were champions last year and we lost! We were down by 10 and I can't let that happen again! It was the most embarrassing thing I have ever experienced my whole coaching career! So I suggest you guys practice and train more! Push yourself, train harder, aim more and get your heads up! Agreed?"

"Agreed," the team responded together.

"Now go! You're all smelly," Roark said, smirking at his team. They chuckled a little before going their own ways.

Ash, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping steady. His feet ached too much and his chest was heavy. He had been playing the whole game without any substitutions at all. He knew that Roark pushed him too much a while ago but he knew that it was for the good of the team.

He quickly made his way towards the bench to get a drink.

But as he was making his way towards said bench, he found that his vision was shaking too much. It seemed to him that the world was spinning and the ground was shaking.

-xoOox-

"Aw, Ash's team lost," Misty muttered to herself as she got up from the bleachers she sitting on. She looked over at the playing area to search for Ash and to her delight she saw him sitting on one of the benches, head on his hands.

"Hello, Waterflower!" A overly cheerful voice greeted much to Misty's annoyance.

"What do you want, Melody?" Misty abruptly turned to look at Melody, glaring at her.

"Nothing at all! It's just a surprise seeing you here! I've never seen you watch a practice game before. Did you force your way in?" Melody asked in a fake, happy voice.

Misty glared at her harder. "I did _not_force my way in. I'm not that desperate, you know!" Misty shouted at the cheerleader, her temper escalating quickly.

"Really? I beg to differ! You seem too desperate clinging on to Ashy a lot," Melody taunted with such irritating fake, high-pitched voice.

"I don't cling on to him too much!" Misty retorted, "and for your information, Ash asked me to come here and watch him play!"

Melody gritted her teeth together and it was her turn to glare at Misty until she remembered a certain scene in her head.

_"Fine then but remember that this bet goes on until the La Finale so until then, you better do a good job with her," Gary said, "What's her name?"_

_"I'll do a good job on her, of course. I'm not reckless like Drew," Ash replied, "Her name's Misty Waterflower." Gary's eyes widened a bit but smirked._

_"I see you went for the fiery one. Tasty," Drew stated. Ash nodded and smirked back._

_"Got that right," Ash said proudly_.

Melody suddenly smiled at the confused Misty. She had the urge to tell Misty that Ash was using her for the bet but decided against it.

"Well, then, I'll be leaving now. My time is worth more than you are anyway," Melody replied calmly as she walked away from Misty who just glared at her, hatred in her eyes.

She wanted to punch Melody in the gut but decided that she should just go to Ash and talk to him instead. She went down the steps of the bleachers.

"Ash," Misty muttered to herself.

As if Ash heard her, he stood up from the bench, smiling tiredly at her and walked her direction. Once he was a meter away from Misty, he felt his vision suddenly fade and his world turned black.

Misty's eyes widened in alarm and she quickly caught the falling raven-haired in her arms and they both landed with a thump on the ground.

"Uh…uh, D-Drew!" Misty shouted at him who was busy talking to Paul. They weren't close at all but she decided to call the first person she saw.

"What's wro-Ash!" Drew's eyes widened as he saw the fallen teen in the arms of Misty who was obviously having a hard time holding him up. Drew called Paul to help him carry Ash towards the bench.

"What happened?" Drew asked in a panicked voice.

Misty's body tensed. She never talked to Drew and here she was being questioned. "I-I don't k-know. I was just going t-to see him and he w-went towards me and t-then he f-fell." Misty cursed herself mentally for stuttering.

"He must be too tired. He played too much a while ago," Paul calmly said as he checked Ash's forehead. "He's got a fever. Let's bring him home."

Drew nodded and both carried Ash, taking one arm each. Drew stopped a while and glanced over at Misty who looked at him confused.

"Aren't you coming?" Drew asked. Misty was surprised.

"You want me to come with you?" Misty asked nervously.

"Ash did tell me a while ago that he wants to take you out for lunch and maybe he'd like to see you once he wakes up," Drew said. Misty smiled inwardly and jogged towards them.

Drew suddenly felt guilty inside. He knew that Ash was using Misty for his bet with Gary. He immediately felt sad thinking that his cousin was going to break this nice girl's heart after some time just for money.

But he set his thoughts aside for a while as he drove towards Ash's house with Paul on the passenger's seat and Misty at the back with Ash.

-xoOox-

END OF CHAPTER 5

There you have it! I was busy this week so I didn't have much time to write but I did it, right?

Just as not to confuse anyone, the Jaguars are the opponents from Pewter and Ash's team is called the Viridian Hawks.

I know Ash seemed like a jerk in the first part and in Drew's thoughts but I can't help but pity him during the game as I was writing this.

Anyway, reviews are highly appreciated. Not to sound desperate for reviews, but I do feel encouraged to write better when I see my reviews number going high. I'm not desperate though. I just feel it.

Thank you! Bye xo


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys!

Previously on Trophy (Chapter 5):

_"Aren't you coming?" Drew asked. Misty was surprised._

_"You want me to come with you?" Misty asked nervously._

_"Ash did tell me a while ago that he wants to take you out for lunch and maybe he'd like to see you once he wakes up," Drew said. Misty smiled inwardly and jogged towards them._

_Drew suddenly felt guilty inside. He knew that Ash was using Misty for his bet with Gary. He immediately felt sad thinking that his cousin was going to break this nice girl's heart after some time just for money._

_But he set his thoughts aside for a while as he drove towards Ash's house with Paul on the passenger's seat and Misty at the back with Ash._

-xoOox-

Trophy**  
**Chapter 6

A pair of eyelids fluttered open and auburn eyes wandered around the area. He sat up, his hand on his throbbing head. He felt hot, literally hot, but he was shivering. He searched around the room wondering where he was until he remembered the earlier events.

"Oh, Arceus, I collapsed after the game," Ash mumbled to himself. He frowned as he remembered losing to the Jaguars. He could make out his rival, Trip, doing funny faces at his team right now while rejoicing with his team.

Ash gritted his teeth at the memory and muttered, "Stupid Pewter Jaguars." He stood up but found it rather hard. His legs were feeling sore and his head felt like it was stoned a thousand times.

Feeling helpless and frustrated at feeling helpless, Ash laid down. He couldn't think straight at all maybe from having a head ache or for other reasons. As team captain of the basketball team, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself and feel guilty for his team. He trained so hard every single day and just one intense practice game against their opponents brought him down.

Ash glared at the championship trophy that rested on one of the shelves of what he realized was his room.

"Stupid jaguar freaks," Ash growled under his hot breath. Once again, his vision started spinning and tried to sleep but to no avail. He was shivering a lot yet he felt hot. He was angry at himself for getting sick at such wrong time.

"Shit, I remembered something!" Ash exclaimed to himself, sitting up on his bed all of a sudden causing a crack on his back. "Damn it! I asked Misty out for lunch a while ago! She's going to kill me!"

As if on cue, Misty entered Ash's room with a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of soup. "Hey Ash!" She greeted as she placed the tray on the table next to Ash's bed.

"How long was I out?" Ash asked before taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

Misty glanced at her watch. "About two hours or three, maybe four. I can't remember what time you collapsed in there. But boy, you took a long time to wake up." Misty giggled. Ash merely sweat-dropped at her reaction and adjusted his blanket to cover himself up more.

"Have you guys had lunch?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, Drew went home after bringing you here while Paul left earlier to go to his college exam. Do you need more food? I know you've got quite an appetite," Misty said. Ash shook his head, surprising himself that he just rejected food offer.

"You guys play very well even during practice. You guys almost nailed it a while ago!" Misty exclaimed, trying to lift his spirits. Ash sighed heavily as he remembered the game. Misty saw Ash's change in expression and extremely felt guilty for what she had said.

"We still lost," Ash mumbled like a young child under his breath. Misty smiled sadly at him before taking a seat on the edge of Ash's bed.

"You can't win everything, Ash," Misty gently told her friend. "Sometimes, you learn more from your mistakes. But if it makes you feel better, if I were to choose a star player during the game, I would've chosen you."

Ash felt his lips turn from a frown into a small smile. Misty sure knew how to make him feel better. He felt pleased that someone out there actually appreciated all his efforts.

"And besides, those Jaguars probably got lucky because you got sick and all. If you were in tiptop shape, you guys would've kicked their asses!" Misty bellowed, her hands curled up into a fist.

Ash looked at her blue-green eyes. "I guess so. But still, I've been training everyday since this season. By now, I should've been used to being tired."

"Ash, you're probably suffering from fatigue. You can't train everyday. You have to let loose, relax a little. Your health's more important than any other game you play," Misty scolded him like a mother does to her child. She softened up a little before taking a deep breath.

"You don't need to win every game to prove yourself a better player. You already are," she continued.

The small smile on Ash's face quickly became a contented smile. "I haven't even hung out with you that much for a long time and still you know how to make me feel better. No one's ever said those words to me before so, uh, thank you, Mist."

Misty beamed at Ash happily before nodding her head in acknowledgement and said, "I guess I better go down now."

"Misty, you're staying here?" Ash wondered. Misty nodded while smiling at him.

"You can't stand being alone here. Your mom's at work and your friends are currently busy so I decided to stay here for you. Don't worry, I'm here on my free will." Misty grinned at him. Ash smiled to himself. He was thankful that someone besides his friends actually cared about him to the point of staying with him while he was sick.

"Thanks Misty, you've already done so much for me," Ash told her sincerely, "I owe you a date remember. I'm taking you out on Saturday if I'm already okay by then."

Misty smiled at him, a small blush lit her face, "You don't owe me anything. Don't worry, it's not your fault that you got sick."

"I insist," Ash replied.

"If you say so, then alright," Misty responded. She nodded her head at Ash before leaving the room feeling her face heat up. As Misty was walking towards the stairs, she took one last glance at Ash who retreated to his sleep before grinning excitedly.

She may not have had her expected date today with Ash but being with him already made her feel overjoyed.

-xoOox-

"Mist?" Ash hollered from his room as loud as his voice permitted. His voice was coarse and rough. He was even hotter and paler. He had slept for almost three hours yet his body felt even weaker and his head was more painful than before. It was almost five in the afternoon and he hadn't eaten that much for lunch. His stomach grumbled and craved for food.

Ash cursed himself for losing his voice as well. He couldn't call Misty downstairs and was too tired to get up from bed. He cursed himself for getting sick during the weekend. He had plans and he had to cancel them all.

He cancelled his lunch out with Misty and he had to cancel his game with Drew and Paul. He was clearly getting annoyed at being sick. He could not move that much and his muscles felt like they have been ripped out. His eyes felt as if they've been exposed to the sun and his mouth felt dry.

"Stupid fever, stupid fatigue!" Ash shouted as loud as he can. He got even more irritated at the fact that his voice was barely audible.

Ash thought of ways to get Misty to hear him, his head aching more and more at the process, until he thought of one solution.

He searched his room for his phone and found in on the dresser near the door. Ash thought if it was worth it, getting up just to call Misty or not. After a few moments of pondering, he carefully removed the sheets from him and shivered as he felt the cool air caress his skin (more like rampage it).

He slowly put himself into a sitting position, his back cracking. He struggled to push himself off of the bed into a standing position. His feet and legs ached from the sudden weight that he had to get a grip on his table to hold himself up.

He had a hard time walking towards the dresser, his right hand clinging on any solid object for support. As soon as he got his phone, he repeated the same process towards his bed and laid down on it. He opened his black iPhone only to be attacked by such bright light since he never cared to adjust his phone's brightness.

"Stupid me." He sure was getting used to calling things stupid.

He searched through Misty's number and called it.

"_You need anything, Ash?"_Misty asked groggily. Ash assumed that she had just awoken from a nap.

"Um, could you come up here?" Ash requested. His voice was barely a whisper.

"_I can't hear you_," Misty lazily uttered. She quickly replied as she came to a realization, "_Oh dear, your voice must be lost! Don't worry, I'll come up right away._" As soon as she hung up, Ash heard footsteps on the stairs.

"How stupid of me to leave you alone right now, I'm so sorry, Ash! Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you need to use the bathroom?" Ash smiled at Misty who was frantically asking him for anything.

"I'm hungry," Ash whispered clearly so that Misty would at least be able to read his lips.

Misty nodded. "I think I found some bread downstairs. I'll bring you a glass of water as well. I'll be back as soon as I can," Misty assured him. She hurried down the stairs, her heart skipping a beat when she almost missed a step. She grabbed the sandwich pack and cheese spread from the counter and a glass of water before hurrying up to Ash's room.

She was breathing heavily. She had done everything at such speed that she probably forgot to breathe. Ash chuckled lightly as he inched his way towards the edge of the bed and tapped the space next to him. He looked at Misty and pointed to the spot next to him signalling her to come and sit with him.

Misty blushed and placed all the objects she had carried on the table next to the bed before sitting next to Ash.

They sat there in silence, which Misty thought of as awkward. Misty grabbed the glass of water and gave it to Ash who drank it quietly.

"I'll check your temperature, alright? Then, I'll ask Drew for your medicine. He was the one who talked to your doctor so I don't really know what to give you," Misty said shyly, bringing her arms behind her back and kicking the floor with her heel.

Ash nodded while Misty got up and took the thermometer. Misty suddenly panicked as she saw Ash's temperature had gotten higher.

"Hey Mist?" Ash called out as loud as he could. To Misty, it was like a soft whisper but she heard it.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Ash murmured followed by a wide toothless grin.

"Um, no problem, anything for you." Misty felt herself blush.

Ash sighed turned over so his back was facing Misty. He then told her, "Misty, do you mind staying here with me? At least, until mom comes back. I'm getting tired of being alone in here a lot."

Misty felt her heart leap in happiness as she looked Ash with sparkling eyes. "I will."

Unbeknownst to her, Ash smiled before sleep took over him.

-xoOox-

It had been a whole week since Ash got sick and he was now well and feeling better than he ever was. It had also been a whole week since Misty stayed with him when he felt lonely inside his house. Actually, he wanted to train more and play basketball more but he remembered a certain promise he had told a certain girl.

Instead of wearing his usual training clothes, he was garbed in a casual blue and black, checkered polo along with his pair of slim leg jeans that accentuated the calf muscles that he loved so much. He had on his favourite pair of rubber shoes, white and blue supras.

He took a while just observing himself in the mirror, admiring his outfit. It really surprised him that he took time to dress up attractively for his simple lunch out with Misty. It wasn't even officially a date. He realized that he needed to make himself presentable to get her to like him…as if she doesn't like him already.

He grabbed his gray hoodless, zip-up jacket before he grabbed the house keys and left to go to Misty's place.

As he was walking towards the Waterflower residence, he passed by Gary's house and suddenly remembered their bet. He had forgotten about it since last week's event but now that he was reminded of it, he got more annoyed of the fact that he could be driving right now towards Misty's house instead of wasting his time walking on the sidewalks.

There were days when he asked himself if it was even worth it to make a bet over a car. Sure, Gary was filthy rich and could buy a car any day he wanted but he felt quite guilty that he would willingly spend over two-thousand dollars just for a single bet.

But then, there were days when he wondered if it was worth it using a girl for his personal purpose?

He decided to brush off the topic as he finally reached his destination. He rang the doorbell and after a few moments, Misty came out with Daisy bothering her.

"Misty's gonna have a date with her _boyfriend_!" Daisy sang as she took a bite of her apple. _"How hygienic,"_ thought Misty.

"Daisy, shut up! It's not a date and he's not my boyfriend!" Misty yelled at her oldest sister as she pushed her back inside the kitchen. Daisy, on the other hand, just continued singing while Ash felt a little bit embarrassed for Misty.

"I'm sorry, Ash. Daisy is an idiot," Misty apologized.

"You look great," Ash said out of the blue causing Misty to turn into the shade of what she was wearing. She had on a plain blue blouse which was tucked in her mid-thigh dirty white shorts and was held in place by a half-inch black belt. She wore a pair of white high-cut converse on her feet.

"Thank you, Ash! You look great, as well," she said shyly, kicking her heel on the floor. Ash grinned at her, finally taking note of her nervous habit and led the way to his favourite restaurant.

…

"The Pasta Palace?" Misty cried in disbelief as Ash led her in.

"Table for two, please," Ash politely told the woman at the front door who directed them to their seats. She gave each of them a menu.

"I've never been here in Pasta Palace. I hear it's a little expensive," Misty whispered to Ash behind her menu.

"It's not that expensive," Ash defended.

"_You're one to talk,"_Misty thought to herself.

"I used to eat here a lot back in 8th grade and their pasta are unbelievably delicious! Of course, I'm not just saying that because I love food but you get the point," Ash babbled like a fan boy of such restaurant. Misty looked at him in a weird way until she shook her head while smiling.

"May I have your orders?" The waiter who approached them, asked, notepad on his palm. The waiter was almost their age, maybe a year older and from the looks of it, he seemed to be one of the trainees.

"I'll have-" Ash started but was cut off when the waiter held his hand into a stop sign in front of Ash. The latter raised his eyebrow at the waiter.

"Ladies first," the waiter said firmly before looking at Misty, "What would the beautiful lady have?"

Misty giggled at the waiter's actions while Ash scowled at the waiter.

"I'll have the Bacon, Zucchini and Lemon Spaghetti with a glass of iced tea," Misty requested as the waiter took the orders down on his notepad.

After a while, the waiter looked at Ash with a bored face and asked, "What do you want?"

Ash glared at him before responding coldly, "Spaghetti Alla Carbonara and red iced tea." The waiter nodded before turning to leave the table.

"What's his problem?" Ash complained like a little child. Misty snickered from behind her hands.

"I guess you annoyed him when you decided to order first." Ash rolled his eyes.

Deciding to change the topic, Misty asked, "So when's your next practice game? I'd love to watch again!" Misty's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. "I mean if you're going to invite me. I mean I'm not actually inviting myself and I was just asking and I'll shut up now."

Ash chortled at his _friend's_replied, "It's two weeks before the game, I think. Don't you worry about a thing, you're invited to watch again!" His usual silly grin came on his face and Misty felt her heart explode in tiny, happy pieces.

As soon as they got their food, they started chowing down. To Ash's surprise, Misty had quite a fetish for pasta as she happily ate her food. When she looked up, Misty had spaghetti sauce on her left cheek and her chin.

Ash found it rather cute, though.

"You sure love pasta," Ash stated. Misty smiled sheepishly at him.

"Definitely," was all she said as she gobbled down the last bit of her meal.

He smiled at her statement but soon frowned as he realized that he needed to make a move. _"It's now or never. Remember Ash, it's for the bet. Nothing but the bet_," he tried to remind himself. However, it seemed to him that he was trying to convince himself.

"Mist?" His voice sounded quiet. Misty looked up from her drink and stared right into Ash.

"I, uh…" he trailed off. _"Get a hold of yourself, Ketchum! You're just going to tell her those three words!"_His inner voice shouted at him. His palms started sweating and he was sure that his heart could fall off any second now if it continued beating too much.

"What is it, Ash?" Misty asked gently, not wanting to pressure the teen that much but she was anxious to hear what he was about to say.

Ash took a deep breath and sighed one last time before letting out three words to Misty:

"I like you."

-xoOox-

END OF CHAPTER 6

Well, there you have it! The time has come for Ash to reveal his words to Misty.

How do you think Misty will react to this?

You better tune in to find out! I might be posting again after a week so stay tuned.

Keep reviewing and thank you to those who reviewed!

For those who were asking me for ikarishipping stories, I have some in my account and I will be writing soon after this story ends or when this story reaches its climax.

Please review and no flames!

Thank you! Bye xo


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 6):**

_He smiled at her statement but soon frowned as he realized that he needed to make a move.__"It's now or never. Remember Ash, it's for the bet. Nothing but the bet,"__he tried to remind himself. However, it seemed to him that he was trying to convince himself._

_"Mist?" His voice sounded quiet. Misty looked up from her drink and stared right into Ash._

_"I, uh…" he trailed off.__"Get a hold of yourself, Ketchum! You're just going to tell her those three words!"__His inner voice shouted at him. His palms started sweating and he was sure that his heart could fall off any second now if it continued beating too much._

_"What is it, Ash?" Misty asked gently, not wanting to pressure the teen that much but she was anxious to hear what he was about to say._

_Ash took a deep breath and sighed one last time before letting out three words to Misty:_

_"I like you."_

**-xoOox-**

"I like you."

Misty felt herself freeze upon hearing those words. Were her ears deceiving her or was this all a dream? She could not believe what she had just heard. It seemed impossible to her.

Ash. Ash Ketchum actually told her that he liked her. He liked her. It was as if tsunamis rambled inside her stomach that it began to hurt, probably from nervousness. It was like a volcano erupted inside her and the lava were stranded in her that her face was beet red.

She was blushing. She could tell that her blush was intense as she felt her ears and even her neck become hot. Her childhood best friend, screw that! Her crush since sophomore year, no matter how much she denied it, actually said that he liked her. She felt as if she was in a fairy tale and she had finally found her prince.

She heard Ash exhale deeply, realizing that he had been holding his breath the whole time. Misty tilted her head up to look at him. She wanted to giggle at the sight of him.

It was as if his handsome façade had taken a turn for the worse. He was as red as her hair all over. His hand was currently tugging on his collar probably to loosen it a bit. His eyes were a different story though. She could not decipher the emotion in them. In fact, his eyes looked as if there were no emotions. His other hand that was on the table was clenched tightly into a fist. Too tightly.

"Could…you say t-that again? I-I don't think I-I heard you," Misty asked nervously. She heard him alright but she wanted to make sure that she was hearing correctly. She cursed herself for stuttering.

Ash stiffened once again. Once was already enough but doing it a second time was even worse. He did not even know why he was nervous. He was only doing this for the bet. It was the first time that he felt so nervous around a girl.

…_and he didn't even feel anything for her. _At least, that's what he wanted to think.

Ash gulped and pursued with his sentence. "I said I like you! I do, really!" And for those who haven't any idea about the bet, it seemed that Ash's confession was legit.

This time, instead of being taken aback, Misty smiled genuinely at the raven-haired teen.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Misty taunted. Ash exhaled sharply and grinned at her.

"I guess not," he replied. He look at her and raised his eyebrows, "Now I want to know what you think about me. You can't just leave me hanging like that. I have to know what you feel…or think too, you know!"

Misty shook her head as if pointing out some obvious fact. "Ash, no matter how much I try to deny it to May and Dawn or anybody else, I've actually liked you since Arceus knows."

Ash suddenly looked offended but beamed at her nonetheless, "It wouldn't hurt to hear it though. I haven't confessed like this to a girl."

"You haven't?" Misty looked startled, "You mean, _the _Ash Ketchum has never confessed to a girl?" This surprised her. In the movies Misty had always been forced to watch by her sisters, the cool guys always had a thing to say about a girl. They were straightforward and were quick to let a girl know how they feel.

Ash looked confused at his friend's reaction. "What do you mean about that?" He squinted his eyes at Misty. "Are you implying that it's quite pathetic that I have never confessed like this to a girl?"

Misty's eyes widened. "No, no, no, no! You got it wrong! What I meant is that…I, um, it just surprised me that someone as cool as you never confessed to a girl. I mean, aren't guys usually open to their feelings towards someone?"

"You make no sense," Ash said. Misty groaned at herself. "I've never confessed like this to my previous girlfriends. Usually, it would be something like 'Hey, I like you, let's go out!' But if it means something to you, then yes I have never confessed like this to a girl and I'm not straightforward with my feelings if that's what you're trying to say. In fact, sometimes I'm actually scared to tell a girl how I feel."

This was news to Misty.

"Scared? Why would you be scared? Any girl would probably do everything just to get you to like them as much as they like you. Why would you be scared of someone rejecting you?" Her tone was now more sincere than ever.

"Because…" Ash paused mid-sentence. He was trying to decide whether not to tell Misty about his reason. He decided against it.

"Because not everyone can see who I really am. People always view me as a jock. A cool guy. Just like those guys in the movies who would quickly throw out their feelings for someone without even thinking about it."

It was like Ash was speaking as a completely different person. A person he liked. The person he felt that he really was. He didn't know why but he suddenly got the feeling that he could tell Misty anything.

"_Oh, the irony,"_Ash thought to himself. "_This was never part of my plan for the bet."_

"Oh, well if it makes you feel better then," she took a deep breath and continued, "I like you, too. Since sophomore year, to be exact."

Ash chortled at her, "Wow, two years? I must be that awesome, then." He smiled coyly at her.

"Jerk," Misty muttered under her breath before laughing as well. She pondered for a minute whether to ask Ash about the reason why he liked her but it seemed like he read her mind.

"I like you because you have a cute laugh. I like you because you care a lot. I like you because you're fun to be with and you're a good listener. Now, it's your turn," Ash stated, grinning victoriously.

Misty pretended to put on a thinking face and frowned at him.

"You mean you don't have a reason as to why you like me?" Ash pretended to be hurt.

"I was just kidding, jeez. Although, I started liking you the way a fan girl does. I was just at a lower level of fan girling. But now that I've spent more time with you, I realized that there's more to like about you."

Ash rolled his eyes and said, "Then, what?"

"I like you because you're funny, fun to be with, you have a lot of stories to tell, you make me happy and you have the appetite of five sumo wrestlers combined," Misty said knowingly. Ash felt pleased with what she said and actually felt happy about it.

"I never thought that I had such impact on you," Ash responded.

"Well, now you know. You should think more highly of yourself. You keep looking down on yourself and degrading yourself. That's not cool," Misty scoffed.

"And now that we told each other how we supposedly feel, I guess I should try looking up to myself more," Ash realized. "I'm awesome."

Misty glared playfully at Ash and rolled her eyes. "Not like that!"

"I get your point. I was just kidding." Ash pouted.

Misty looked at him for a while and wondered to herself, "_So is there anything between us now?_"

"You okay, Misty? You're spacing out, as usual, again. You really have to get rid of that spacing out thing, it's sort of creepy," Ash said. He actually found it cute whenever Misty spaced out but it got him nervous to an extent.

"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering whether there's something between us now," Misty honestly spoke up, back from her trance.

Ash moved closer to Misty, sliding from the couch. "Why? Do you want something between us?" He whispered in her ear. She suddenly froze as she realized that Ash was flirting with her. Sort of.

"N-n-no, I-I was j-ust wondering," Misty stammered, blushing fifty shades of red. Ash sniggered at her then smirked.

"To answer your question," He took a deep breath. _"For the bet, Ketchum. For the bet. It won't be that long," _he tried to convince himself.

"And I thought I was the one who spaced out a lot," Misty uttered.

Ash glared at her then softened up once he saw Misty's frozen state. "Misty, will you be my girlfriend?"

It was as if all clocks in the world broke, everyone in the world was hidden and the earth stopped moving. To Misty, they weren't in a restaurant anymore. It's like they were trapped in a quiet crevice that only fit for both of them. Cold yet peaceful.

She searched Ash's beautiful auburn eyes and saw that it had a determined look.

Telling her that he liked her was one thing but asking her to be his girlfriend was a whole different story. She felt special. The chill guys asking a fiery girl like her to be his girlfriend? Wasn't that something that only happened in movies?

She looked at Ash who seemed to be holding in a deep breath and anxiously waiting for an answer. When he caught her eye, he gulped audibly and smiled nervously at her.

"Yes," Misty simply said.

"Really? You do? You want to be my girlfriend? Are you sure? There's no backing out of it! Are you really sure?" Ash suddenly barraged her with a hundred questions causing the girl to laugh softly. He was more excited about the fact that she agreed to be his girlfriend rather than the fact that he actually had the chance at winning this bet with Gary.

"I said yes, didn't I? That means, I want to be your girlfriend and I'm sure unless you don't want me to be sure," Misty joked.

Ash made a fist and moved it as if saying, 'yes!'. In his mind, he was screaming. She finally said yes! Though he was not really sure why he was feeling ecstatic, he still felt overjoyed.

"Well, I don't know if this is the right thing to say but I'm really glad that you said yes because if you didn't say yes then I would probably live a life's full of shame right now," Ash chuckled, bringing his hand behind his head, a habit Misty noticed that Ash usually did to express nervousness.

"Then you better be thankful that I said yes," Misty joked. Ash laughed at her for a while.

"Very funny," Ash said sarcastically though a huge grin graced his features.

"So, are you going to pay the bill now or are we going to continue talking like this?" Misty asked. They have been talking (and eating) for quite some time now that they forgot that there was still a bill to pay.

"Oh, right!" Ash chuckled as he called for a waiter and asked for the bill. As soon as their meals were paid, they left the building.

"Well, that place definitely suits the term 'five-star'," Misty stated as she looked at Ash beside her, "We should go there more often." Like before, Misty widened her eyes as she realized what she had just said.

"I-I mean if you invite me there again, of course," Misty grinned nervously at Ash.

"I like it when you're nervous. And yes, we can go there whenever we want," Ash said to her much to Misty's relief.

They continued walking until Ash stopped and glanced at Misty, who was confused.

"Yes?" She asked as she stared at Ash as well.

Without hesitation, Ash quickly stated, "I'm walking you home." Misty felt herself blush at his statement. Nobody had ever walked her home. Besides May and Dawn anyway.

"Really? I could walk home alone, you know. I don't want to be a bother and besides, you probably have other plans and uh-"

"You're not walking alone and you're definitely not a bother. Come on, I insist," Ash persisted, a glint present in his eye, "Besides, there's nothing wrong with walking home with my new girlfriend, right?"

For the umpteenth time, Misty blushed. She nodded shyly like a little child who was hesitant to accept an ice cream cone from a nice stranger.

Ash smiled at her, satisfied with just walking beside her. He looked at her eyes, her soft lips then down at her hands. He had felt her touch before but it had only been for a few seconds and that was when he was sick and felt his hands go numb.

Slowly, he reached out to conquer her small hand in his and grasped it tightly yet gently. It felt soft and warm. Just holding her hand was enough to complete his day. He felt Misty's hand tense but quickly relaxed when he rubbed the back of her palm with his thumb.

They walked home the next few minutes before they reached the Waterflower home.

"This day was really fun. What's more fun is that I know that there's going to be more of these in the near future," Ash told a flushed Misty as they stood in front of the gates.

"Well, Ash, I have to say that you're pretty good with planning dates such as this one," Misty said, complementing the teenager.

"Thank you, and you are pretty good with making me feel comfortable and not alone," Ash responded.

"So, I guess, see you at school, then," Misty said.

Ash nodded before doing the most unexpected thing Misty ever imagined. He leaned closer to her and brushed his soft lips on her right cheek, letting them linger on it for a few seconds. To Misty, it seemed like twice an eternity.

He pulled away and flashed her a cheeky grin.

Before Ash was completely out of sight, Misty shouted, "Don't forget you still owe me a bike, Ketchum!" Ash simply gave her a thumbs up.

**-xoOox-**

"Guess what, Hayden!" Ash exclaimed as he shot a perfect jump shot into the basketball hoop at the court located at Drew's backyard.

"What is it this time, Ketchum?" Drew asked nonchalantly as he got the ball and did a lay-up, completely evading all of Ash's attempted blocks.

"I finally have a girlfriend," Ash stated. He got the ball and shot once again. "I went on a date with Misty and told her that I like her and asked her if she could be my girlfriend and she said yes and we were talking and talking and talking and I kissed her on the cheek when I left and I'm just that awesome!" He blabbered like a fan girl.

Drew cringed at what Ash had said, quickly dropping the basketball and giving Ash a stern look. He suddenly yelled at him, "You're an idiot!"

"What did I do wrong now?" Ash retorted, surprised at his cousin's sudden outburst.

"I don't know Misty that much but from what I saw in her when she helped you that day you collapsed, she's a sweet girl and seems to be very caring and nice!" Drew replied angrily despite how childish his remark seemed.

"You sound mad. What the heck's wrong with me asking her to be my girlfriend?" Ash responded, glaring at Drew in the process.

"You don't deserve someone as nice as her! You're just using her for your stupid bet with Gary! After all she's done for you, I can't believe you're actually repaying her by using her for your own stupid game!"

"I don't see why I have to discuss this with you again, Drew. This is my life and I decide on whatever things I want and if you're really angry at me for having a girlfriend then why don't you just get one so you could stop bothering me about this stupid bet!" Ash shouted at him then walked away from the court.

"Stupid idiot," Drew muttered to himself, glaring at Ash who stormed out of the house.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 7**

**So now that Misty and Ash are together, what do you think will be in it for them, especially now that Drew has expressed utter distaste for the pair (Ash mostly)?**

**I shall be updating next week due to my busy schedule but I am determined to update a new chapter within the next few days.**

**Please review! I really love reading your reviews. No flames, though.**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

**I've decided to put a little bit of story between Drew and May this time.**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 7):**

_"You don't deserve someone as nice as her! You're just using her for your stupid bet with Gary! After all she's done for you, I can't believe you're actually repaying her by using her for your own stupid game!"_

_"I don't see why I have to discuss this with you again, Drew. This is my life and I decide on whatever things I want and if you're really angry at me for having a girlfriend then why don't you just get one so you could stop bothering me about this stupid bet!" Ash shouted at him then walked away from the court._

_"Stupid idiot," Drew muttered to himself, glaring at Ash who stormed out of the house._

**TROPHY  
Chapter 8**

"Arceus, the nerve of that Ketchum! Thinking he could get away with everything anytime he wants," Drew muttered angrily to himself as he walked down the empty corridor. He was so mad at Ash the other day that he left without him.

"He's probably walking here and having the worst time of his life," Drew stated, "Serves that jerk right. Using a nice girl for his stupid car. But what do I care, it's not like he ever lis-"

His rant, however, was cut short as he felt something soft bump him on the shoulder.

"I am _so _sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going a- Drew?"

"Of course, you of all people would bump into me in an _empty _hallway, Maple," Drew arrogantly teased with a flick of his chartreuse bangs. May blushed.

"Oh? Well, at least, I don't talk to myself while walking down an empty hallway!" May retorted, the blush never leaving her face.

"And that's bad how?" Drew asked. To this, May did not have a comeback.

"Just watch where you're going next time!" May said in hopes of getting away from Drew before her blush got any bigger.

"I am _soooooo _sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" Drew mocked in a high-pitched voice which was clearly a terrible impersonation of May's voice.

"I do _not _talk like that, you jerk!" May spat out. "Ugh, whatever. You're not worth my time."

"Hope you don't bump into any posts on your way!" Drew called out while May got farther. She simply glared at him and continued walking.

"Just because he's hot doesn't mean he's got the right to tease me like that," May muttered to herself angrily. Embarrassed as she was, it was actually nice to have bumped into Drew. It was… very different compared to her usual days to say the least.

"What's gotten you so worked up?"

May whipped her head to the sound of the voice to find Misty staring down at her curiously. "Oh, I just passed by Drew. No big deal."

"Right," Misty said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

**-xoOox-**

"Drew, are you still mad at me?" Ash asked tiredly as he drove the basketball towards the hoop in a perfect lay-up.

"That has to be the stupidest question of the year," Drew coldly responded, catching the ball and running to the other hoop.

"Come on, I don't even know why you're mad at me for this, Drew. It's not like you're affected in any way," Ash said. He tried to block Drew's shot only to miscalculate the distance between him and the ball and ended up slapping Drew's arm instead. Drew, on the other hand, dropped the ball from his grasp.

"Look, Ketchum, I know that this doesn't have anything to do with me but I'm just pissed with the fact that you think you could just do this to anyone. I don't want to see you get hurt from what you're doing," Drew said. He picked the ball up and shot a free throw.

"Nobody told you to care."

"Ash, I'm your cousin. Of course, I care. Besides," Drew continued, "I wouldn't want this plan of yours to backfire at you and then affect you badly during the finals."

"Oh, so now it's just about the championships," Ash stated, grabbing the ball just in time as it fell from the hoop. He passed it to Drew who caught it with professional ease.

"Ash, you know what I mean," Drew said as he shot the ball once again. Ash took the ball and dribbled it continuously while glaring harshly at Drew.

"No, I don't know what you mean," Ash replied angrily, "Look, just because you're a little bit older than I am doesn't mean you have every right to tell me that I do is right or wrong. Can't I decide with what to do with my life for once? I know it's a really silly thing to bet on a girl just for a car." At this, Drew cannot help but smirk.

"You have no idea how it is for me to deal with Gary all the time. You guys may think that making these bets with him is just for fun. Well, yeah, sometimes they are but most of the time I do them to prove to Gary that basketball isn't the only thing that I can do," Ash said. In his frustration, he threw the ball at Drew forcefully that it almost knocked the breath out of Drew when he caught it.

"Ash, it-"

"Whatever. This is my last bet anyway. Maybe after this, Gary could come back to taunting me again," Ash grimly said as he walked back inside his house.

"One day, Ash, you'll realize how wrong you are."

**-xoOox-**

"So, Misty, how was your date with Ash?" May asked her friend who, at this, blushed a beet red.

"Something must've had happened!" Dawn concluded. Misty didn't respond, however, and just stood in front of her locker recalling the events of last Saturday.

_"Misty, will you be my girlfriend?"_

"_Yes."_

"Look, Dawn, she's got that dreamy look on her face. Something is definitely up," May said as she took a good look at Misty.

"Earth to Misty!" Dawn shouted in her ear causing the teenager to jump in shock.

"Arceus, Dawn, you didn't have to shout in my ear! Isn't a simple wave enough?" Misty glared coldly at Dawn whilst rubbing her now painful left ear.

"Sorry but it seemed like you were somewhere in Dream land or something. Now tell us what happened last Saturday!" Dawn insisted.

Once again, Misty blushed furiously but continued, "Ash told me that liked me."

"Of course, he likes you. That's why he hangs out with you, like, a lot!" Dawn dumbly said. May face-palmed while Misty shook her head.

"You have a boyfriend and yet you have no idea what she's talking about," May sighed, "So by 'like', you mean _like _like?"

Misty simply shook her head, the blush reaching her ears and neck.

"EEEEEEP!" Dawn and May both squealed in excitement.

"Well, tell us what you said!" Dawn excitedly said, leaning forward.

"I told him that I liked him, too." Dawn and May squealed once again. This time, Misty was taken aback at the shrillness of their overly excited voices.

"Stop that!" Misty quickly scolded the two who only continued to squeal.

A few moments later, Dawn spoke up.

"So now that we've established that you guys both like each other, what did he say next?"

Misty smiled at her two friends before continuing with the rest of her story.

"He asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend and I said yes. He walked me home, kissed me on the cheek, end of story," Misty said in a rush.

For the nth time, May and Dawn squealed happily. They were until Ms. Juniper came out of one of the classrooms and hushed them.

"We are so happy for you, Misty!" May quickly crushed her friend in a breath-taking (literally) hug. Dawn joined in as well, hugging Misty even harder.

"…A-air…" Misty struggled to say but was happy nonetheless.

The two let go quickly but were still grinning from ear to ear.

"I told you, Misty! All you had to do was think positive!" May said in excitement.

"Heh… right," Misty nervously said.

"There's my girl!" Misty smiled at the voice. She turned around just in time for Ash to put his arm around her shoulders and pull her to him.

"Hi Ash!"

"So, dinner or lessons? I don't want to give you any ideas but I would definitely choose dinner over lessons any day of the year but it's your choice," Ash said. Misty giggled girlishly, snuggling deeper into Ash's warm side.

"Aw, you guys are so cute! I so knew you guys would end up together!" Dawn squealed. May nodded in assent. She obviously became quiet in Ash's presence. For Arceus' sake, Ash probably didn't even know her!

"Hello there, Dawn," he nodded at Dawn and turned to May. "You must be May! Drew talks so much about you! He's always like 'That girl Dawn hangs out with, she's a klutz! But she's cute!' and all that."

May blushed profusely at that.

"Oh, and Dawn, Paul was looking for you this afternoon. He said something about Scissor Street," Ash reminded her.

"Oh! That's right! Paul and I are supposed to go to Scissor Street tonight. He's treating me in this new restaurant called Red Jelly!" Dawn said, "I've got to go and get dressed properly. See you, May, Misty. See you around, Ash!" And with that, she sped off.

"Of course, when it comes to Paul, Dawn's always in a rush," Misty sighed. She turned to face Ash who was still looking at the trail Dawn took with an amazed look on his face.

"Let's have dinner then lessons! Sounds great?"

"Absolutely, my fair lady, let's go!" Ash claimed Misty's hand in his and took of to another direction, leaving poor May alone to watch both her friends.

"And just like that, my two best friends are leaving me alone," May sighed sadly. She put back her things in her locker and started walking to the exit door when she bumped into something.

"Arceus, Maple! Would you watch where you're going next time?" May looked up and saw a red-faced Drew glaring at her. She then looked back down and saw that she had just bumped into his Iced Tea cup which was now spilled on the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry again, Drew. I was deep in thought."

"I'm beginning to think that thinking is too dangerous for you considering how many times you've already bumped into me and it hasn't even been 24 hours."

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know my friends would leave me for their boyfriends you know!" May defended herself. Drew just smirked at her followed by an arrogant flip of his oh-so-perfect bangs.

"Looks like you're alone now, huh?"

"I could say the same for you, Hayden! Where are Ash and Paul, huh? As far as I'm concerned, your two best friends are hanging out with my two best friends leaving the both of us alone," May said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

"I wouldn't technically say alone. I mean here we are right now with no one else to go with so if I were you, I'd be thankful for the company."

"What company? I don't wanna go with you!" May screeched as she started walking faster. Drew fell into step with her and started walking beside her.

"Oh please, I know you want to be with someone right now."

May was obviously aggravated at this point. Drew was completely annoying the hell out of her. But deep inside, she couldn't help but be thankful that at least now she wasn't walking alone. Of course, it was Drew of all people but she tried to brush the thought away.

"I'd rather be with a kidnapper than be with you of all people," May said through gritted teeth.

"Chill out, Maple. What's got you so worked up anyway? I mean, you can't be that sad because your friends are finally getting social lives and you're not," Drew assumed. Apparently, it was like he was reading her mind because that was exactly what was going on in her mind right now.

"Maybe it's because you're right," May muttered.

"What was that? I was right?" Drew repeated tauntingly.

"I said yes, you're right! Leave me alone!" May shouted as she turned around and walked away.

Drew felt guilty that instant and so he followed her.

"Would you stop following me?" May complained.

"Hey, wanna go get some snacks? There's an ice cream parlor down the street and I guess I'm up for treating someone today," Drew offered genuinely. May looked at him bewildered.

"You're actually offering to take me out today?" she asked, shocked.

"Heh, I've got no one to go with today and besides, coach cancelled training due to some meeting he had to attend to. Consider this your lucky day."

"Fine but only because you're so desperate," May said as she smiled at Drew. He simply shook his head and led the way.

**-xoOox-**

"…and so he befriended those pirates and stole their money?"

"That's right, Ash. Pretty ironic, I guess. I mean, they kidnapped him and yet he succeeded in getting the riches and all those money," Misty said while she was busy browsing through her book.

"And then he killed them, right?" Ash asked though he already knew the answer to that. Julius Caesar's story was his all-time favorite which was, of course, unknown to Misty at that point.

"Yeah, he's a smart guy alright," Misty affirmed.

"If you were to be kidnapped by pirates out in the sea, what would you do?"

"What would I do? Well, I'd beat the living crap out of them with my mallet and then I steal their money. I'm pretty sure not all pirates are that smart."

"If I were kidnapped by pirates, I'd pretend I was one of them and tell them they're mistaken. Acting like a pirate's really easy," Ash gloated. He cleared his throat and then curled his hand into a fist with his pointy finger bent as if it was a hook.

"Arrgh, matey. I'm gon' get dem treasures and you ain't got nothing to do 'bout it," Ash mocked, pointing his 'hook' towards Misty who was giggling uncontrollably.

"I don't mean to sound so stereotypical but you sound so much like those gangsters on TV," Misty said through her giggles.

"Oh please, like you could've done better!"

"I'm pretty sure I could!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

Misty tightened her ponytail and made a hook through her pointy finger.

"Ahoooy, me hartey! How be you? Flibber ye jibbits, ye treasure's mine!" Misty mocked, her throat tight and her teeth clenched together. Ash burst out laughing, almost hitting his head on the board of his bed.

"That was a good one, Misty. You pass for Pirates of the Carribean," Ash approved.

"Thanks, Ash."

"So anyway, do we still have much to study? Because I really _really_ would like to eat something right now. I mean, it's not everyday that coach Roark decides to cancel a training session y'know," Ash said.

"You and your stomach. It's a wonder that you don't get fat."

"Hey, I train for basketball like almost everyday. I'm perfectly fit," Ash replied, raising both arms and flexing them.

"Alright, Ketchum. Go get me some food," Misty jokingly ordered.

"Vanilla Ice Cream or Chocolate Cake?"

"Both!" Misty excitingly said.

"Both it is!"

And with that, Ash ran downstairs to the kitchen to get them some cake and ice cream. Misty smiled widely at the thought of her and Ash. She never would have imagined that the two of them could be together. Moreover, she didn't expect to even be friends with Ash in the first place. But here she was, waiting for her ice cream and cake in Ash's room.

She stood up and started looking around in his room. Something she's been wanting to do ever since she first arrived there.

She saw medals hung on the racks of the small glass cabinet. Most of them were from various basketball competitions and some were from small track and field competitions. At the center of the small cabinet was a championship trophy that was dated three years back when the Viridian Hawks won against the Pewter Jaguars. They had been Freshmen then.

At the top rack was a family picture of Ash, Delia and a man who looked like an adult version of Ash. She assumed that the man was his dad. Ash was just a tiny baby in the picture, being held by his mother.

"_Must be his only picture with his dad before his parents got divorced,"_ Misty thought to herself. She stared at it longer before continuing with her short stroll. She found a framed picture of Ash and his mother on his study desk and another one of his high school team.

"That picture was taken when we first won the championships against the Pewter Jaguars."

Misty quickly whirled around in surprise, staring right at Ash who was holding a tray of food and water.

"And that picture on the top shelf is my only family picture. I think I was like a year old when that was taken. I sure as hell don't remember it," Ash informed her as he set down the tray on the bedside table.

"Only?"

"Yeah, like I said before, my father and my mother got divorced before I even had an actual mind. I guess my parents never had time to take as much family pictures as we could in that two years they were together."

Misty just stared at Ash. She didn't know what to say. In fact, she hated these kinds of problems; the kinds that she couldn't relate to. Thankfully, Ash spoke again.

"How come your parents left only you and your sisters in-charge of your gym? You're a student and based on what you've told me sometime during our little date," Ash said to which Misty blushed, "your sisters barely do any work since they're busy going from one date to another."

"Not to mention the fact that they let me do all the work and use the money that I'm supposed to be earning. It's really annoying. I mean just because I'm still under their supervision doesn't mean they could just boss me around and all that."

"Hey, calm down. If you ever need help with anything, I'm just near," Ash offered, giving Misty a genuine smile.

"That's nice, Ash. Thanks." She rolled over from her position on his bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ash smiled down at her and hugged her even more tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

And the bet didn't even occur to him all night long.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 8**

**There you have it! A bit of Contestshipping and a long Misty and Ash moment for you guys out there. And now that Ash is slowly forgetting about the bet, this story just keeps on getting more and more interesting don't you think?**

**Anyway, please review. I would really appreciate review.**

**Review Goal: 32**

**I don't really follow review goals but they do inspire me to write more.**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 8):**

"_Hey, calm down. If you ever need help with anything, I'm just near," Ash offered, giving Misty a genuine smile._

"_That's nice, Ash. Thanks." She rolled over from her position on his bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. She sighed contentedly and snuggled into the warmth radiating from him. Ash smiled down at her and hugged her even more tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder._

_And the bet didn't even occur to him all night long._

**TROPHY  
Chapter 9**

"Way to go, Ketchum!"

"That was a mean three-pointer!"

"What do you mean JUST A three-pointer? That was a half-court shot!"

Ash continued walking contentedly towards the bench as the crowd bellowed praises right at him.

They were having a practice match amongst themselves when people decided to gather in the gym and watch them since it was a Friday. Misty, who was watching from the sidelines, cheered for her boyfriend.

"_Hm… boyfriend. I could get used to that,_" she thought to herself. She leaned over at the railing and reached out to poke Ash's head.

"That was a great match, Ash! And that last shot was just so amazing! Who would've thought that someone like you could actually shoot that powerfully!" Misty praised.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash narrowed his eyes slightly at his girlfriend before grinning up at her and reaching up to ruffle her hair.

"I'm so glad you took the time to watch me play even if it was just for practice," Ash said sincerely.

"Someone had to watch out for you in case you decided to collapse again. You really freaked me out that time," Misty replied.

"I'll have you know, I don't plan on getting sick again anytime soon," Ash boasted before taking a huge gulp of his water bottle.

"Well you better don't! I don't want me carrying you ever again. You're heavy," Misty teased.

Ash rolled his eyes and remained seated on the bench. With practiced ease, Misty raised her foot on the railing followed by the other and jumped over to the bench Ash was seated in. The impact of her jump made the bench shake causing Ash to spill some of his water bottle's contents on himself.

"Jeez Mist, you didn't have to dirty me up you know," Ash complained as he stood up and let the water drip on the floor.

"Meh, it won't matter. You're sweaty so maybe a little water could clean you up a bit," Misty said before dipping her hand on the cooler right next to her and splashed Ash some ice-cold water.

"Hey, that's twice in a row! You are _so _getting it!" With that, Ash reached over and dipped both his hands on the cooler and rubbed them on Misty's arms.

"That's not fair! Now I've got your sweat and the ice water on me," Misty complained, sending Ash a playful glare. Ash, on the other hand, stuck his tongue out at her.

"Heh, that should teach you the lesson that you don't mess with me," Ash stated. He reached out for his bag to get his phone. As soon as he got it, Misty snatched it and ran away from him.

"Hey, come back here, you phone-snatcher!" Ash smirked before standing up and chasing Misty on the court. Misty was laughing as she ran away from Ash.

From the other side of the court, some of Ash's friends were watching the two of them. Some oblivious to the current situation Ash was in right now.

"I didn't know that Ash had a girlfriend," Steven, one of Ash's teammates, said.

"He never told us about any girlfriend," Richie replied, "Usually, we'd be the first to know about his new girlfriend."

"Oh, he has a girlfriend alright," Drew muttered as he threw a worried glance at Misty. Of course his teammates didn't know about the bet between Gary and Ash. He felt sorry for Misty. He didn't know her that much but in the small time he's known her, he immediately saw the way Misty cared for Ash.

"It's about the bet again, huh?" Paul asked Drew who nodded in response.

"I mean just look at her! She looks so happy and she doesn't even know that Ash is just using her," Drew said sadly.

"Ash will learn his lesson. Give him time," Paul stated. Their looks reverted back to the playing couple. Ash now had his arms around Misty's waist holding her in place as he snatched his phone back from her hands.

"Bets aside, Ash wasn't this playful around his other girls," Drew said hopefully.

"We'll see in time," Paul replied with a knowing smirk.

"Paul! You guys had a great match!" Dawn said as she ran up to hug her boyfriend, "Hi Drew!"

"Hey," Drew greeted uncomfortably. He never really did feel comfortable when he was around Paul and Dawn at the same time.

"You're on your own," Paul said. He walked away with his girlfriend under his arm leaving Drew to roll his eyes at her.

"Dawn could've at least said bye to me," May told no one in particular.

"If you keep talking to yourself like that, you're gonna end up in the nearest Mental Institution around, _June,_" Drew teased as he saw May bent over annoyed at her friend.

"Please, Roseboy, I'm not the one who's alone most of the time."

"Really now? And where may I ask are your friends?" Drew arrogantly asked. May scoffed at him but softened up a few seconds later.

"How is it that it's always the two of us who end up being alone together?" May asked.

"Probably because you're so desperate that you want to be near me at all times-" May glared him, "-but maybe it's also because our friends are busy with each other that they forget about us. Call us… 'The Abandoned Ones'."

May giggled at that. This Drew she could tolerate.

Drew looked at May and smiled legitimately at her. "Hey, you free tomorrow? Let's go get something to eat again."

May looked surprised at the offer. This was the second time that Drew offered to take her out on a 'date'. But nonetheless, she felt honored.

"You're paying."

"I don't really care," Drew replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, you just got yourself a date. See you tomorrow, Roseboy." She walked away. Once she was a good distance away from him, she squealed.

**-xoOox-**

Ash immediately went to the kitchen as soon as he got home. The intensity of their training today had worn him out. Being worn out made him hungry. And the sweet smell of his mother's cooking definitely did not help in lessening his hunger.

"Evening, Ash," greeted his mother. "How was training today? You seem more tired than usual."

"It went well. Made half-court shot today and Coach Roark decided to make us do more conditioning," Ash replied, taking a bite out of his steak.

"Well, don't forget to rest well okay? I don't need you collapsing again just like last time," Delia reminded him in a very motherly tone.

"Yeah, I won't. It's not the first time I heard that today," Ash sighed tiredly.

"We're just really worried about your health, honey. You've been working so hard in school and in training. I'm proud of you," Delia said, smiling at her only son.

"Thanks mom, means a lot."

After a few moments of silence, Delia decided to break it once again.

"So who's this girlfriend that your cousin's been talking about for the past week?" She asked.

Ash blushed at this question. He rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled nervously at his mother.

"Aw, you're blushing. You must really like her." He blushed even harder, as if he wasn't already.

"Her name's Misty Waterflower. She lives somewhere in the outskirts of Viridian and her parents own that big gym in Cerulean City," Ash explained to his mom.

"How's she like? Is she nice? I think Drew said something about her tutoring you in History. I didn't know you were struggling in History!" Delia asked.

"Yeah, she's nice. And no, I'm not struggling in History."

"That is so cute! My son's pretending to have a hard time in History just so he could spend some time with a girl," Delia gushed while Ash chuckled nervously. Of course his mother would find it cute. She always watched those soap operas on TV once she got home.

"Mom!"

"Sorry sweetie but I have never seen you act this nervously when we talk about your girlfriends," Delia apologized.

"Misty was actually the one who took care of me when I collapsed. She helped Drew and Paul bring me home when I collapsed and stayed with me until her sisters told her to go home for some gym stuff," Ash said proudly.

"She sounds lovely. I wouldn't mind meeting her."

"Uhm, uh- sure," Ash replied. He took a big gulp of his drink before placing his dishes on the sink. "I'm gonna go fix up now. I'm really tired. Good night, mom!"

"Good night, sweetie!" Delia said before cleaning up the dishes.

Ash went up to his room and took a quick shower. Once he was done, he did the first thing he could think of. He called up Misty.

"Hey Mist!"

"What's up, Ash?"

"Not much. I'm just sort of bored and tired but I don't feel like sleeping yet. Maybe if I hear your voice, I'd fall asleep," Ash said jokingly.

"Are you saying that my voice bored you?" Misty growled at him and by the tone of her voice, he could tell that she was glaring at him through the phone.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"You better!"

"Anyway, my mom told me over at dinner that she wants to meet you," Ash told her.

"What do you mean your mom wants to meet me?" The loudness of Misty's voice hurt Ash's ears that he had to bring the phone away from his ear.

"I sorta told her about you a while ago and I guess she immediately took a liking to you so she said that she wouldn't mind meeting you," Ash explained.

"Aw, that is so sweet! You gushed about me to your mom!"

"Not you too, Misty," Ash groaned in annoyance.

"Sorry, Ash, but I find it sweet," she said.

"Believe me, my mom had the same reaction."

"I'm sure your mom and I would get along pretty well. I could come over tomorrow night. You know, we could watch a movie at your house, have dinner with your mother, spend some time with each other like usual," Misty suggested.

"It's like you could read my mind. Six pm sounds fine?"

"Definitely!"

"_Like, Misty, come over here. Treadmill number 8 is, like, acting up again. Jeez, Misty._" Ash heard Daisy (he wasn't quite sure though that it was Daisy because she, Lily and Violet sounded the same) call out.

"Well, that's your cue. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Good night, Ash."

"Good night, Mist."

**-xoOox-**

"You must be Misty! Ash has told me so much about you the other night," Delia said as she greeted Misty in the living room.

"Good evening, Mrs. Ketchum," she politely greeted. To Ash, Misty seemed used to talking to adults. It was slightly true as Misty had been dealing with adult customers for a long time.

While Delia and Misty engaged to a conversation, Ash couldn't help but smile at the thought of Misty and his mom getting along well. It seemed that Delia took a quick liking at Misty, something made obvious by how comfortable she felt talking to his girlfriend about those girl things they were talking about.

Best of all, Misty actually knew how to cook, something Delia found quite interesting about the young woman. She also watched the same soap opera that Delia watched late at night. Weird as it seemed, Ash actually found it cute that Misty, the red-head with the red and fiery personality, watched dramatic soap operas.

It felt right, letting Misty meet his mom. Delia never really did like his two previous girlfriend, Cassie and Whitney. She found the both of them too demanding and too open-minded, something that even Ash didn't like. The last time his mom felt comfortable around a girlfriend of his was three years ago when he dated Shaine. But he knew that he never had anything serious with Shaine.

The two ladies had been too engrossed in their conversation that Ash eventually got bored and decided to check how things were going in the kitchen. As if on cue, the chicken in the oven finished roasting earning it a ding loud enough for Delia to hear.

"Oh the chicken's done cooking! I would love to continue with this conversation but I'm pretty sure our young man's starving now," Delia chuckled as did Misty.

"Knowing your son, he's probably drooling over it right now," she said making the both of them laugh.

"Hey, I heard that!" Ash shouted from the kitchen.

Delia arranged the food on the table then sat right in front of Misty who was next to Ash.

"So, when did the two of you happen?"

"Mom!"

"Oh Ash, you should let your mother know about these things!" Misty interjected him, "Let's see… hm… well, it kinda started with that day he asked me to tutor him in History and then I guess it became sort of a regular thing. Every Monday and Wednesday, after his training, we would both go to my place, here once, and just study and I guess we got to know each other more."

"That is so cute! How did he ask you to be his girlfriend?"

"Mom, I swear you're embarrassing me!"

"Shut it, Ash!" Misty elbowed him on the ribs lightly and continued, "He took me out to this five-star restaurant and he told me he liked me and then he asked me to be his girlfriend! Oh my, Arceus, you should've seen him! He was a nervous wreck!"

"I wasn't nervous. I was just worried that you wouldn't remember much about me," Ash defended himself.

"What do you mean?" Delia asked.

"Ash and I used to be friends back in elementary until I moved to Cerulean," Misty explained.

"Wow, I didn't realize my son kept you a secret from me for so long," Delia said.

"I guess it's because bringing home a girl from school when you're 8 isn't the best way to impress your mother," Ash told her, earning him a smack on the shoulder courtesy of Misty.

"Would you please stop hitting me?!"

"Only if you stop answering with stupid answers!"

While they were busy glaring at each other, Delia couldn't help but smile at them. Ash definitely chose the right girl.

Dinner went on with Misty and Delia engaging into another one of those girlish conversations and Ash munching on his food with some smacking going on constantly.

"Well, look at the time. I suppose you'd want to spend some more time with Ashy here," Delia chuckled followed by a wink.

And for the third time that day, "MOM!"

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Ketchum. I really enjoyed. I hope we could eat together again soon," Misty thanked her before grabbing Ash's hand and going up to his room.

"Jeez, Ash. I didn't know you were a total mama's boy!" Misty stated before flopping down on his bed like usual.

"I'm not. My mom just likes to butt in my love life and social life."

"Well, I find it kinda cute that your mother cares so much about you. I mean it's not like my mom's always there with me, you know. You should definitely appreciate her!" Misty exclaimed as she played with the metal box on his drawer.

"Stop playing with my cash!" Ash scolded her playfully. He grabbed the metal box and placed it far away from her reach.

"You act like it's something super confidential. What's wrong with playing with your cash?" Misty wondered. Ash chortled sheepishly. He sat down on the edge of his bed and leaned on the headboard next to Misty. He held the small box in his hands and rubbed its sides.

"In here are my savings. I've been saving up for a car since Junior Year so I've been saving half of my allowance every single day so I could gather enough money for a car. So far, I've got $525," Ash informed her.

"That's progress! That's more than what I get from the gym. Since I'm still under 21, I can't get my full share from the gym's earnings. I usually just get like two hundred bucks or so per month. My sisters get most of the money to themselves since they're adults," she said.

"Hey, at least you've got the money! I'm still almost $2000 short!" Ash whined.

"I'm sure you'll get your money soon," Misty reassured him.

And that's when it struck Ash. "_Oh yeah, the bet! I haven't even thought of it since who knows." _

Suddenly, he froze.

"You okay?" Misty asked. She placed her hand atop his and intertwined their fingers, rubbing her thumb across his fingers.

"Yeah, I just remembered something. No big deal," he shrugged it off. Truth was, he felt guilty. It's like all the sermons that Drew had given him in the past weeks or so dawned on him. He stole a furtive glance at Misty, who was too busy playing with their fingers. She seemed truly happy with him and here he was ready to hurt her.

He had to admit that he was happy with Misty. She knew how to make him feel better and how to make him smile. She wasn't like any of the girlfriends he's had in the past. Unlike the others, she had a true sense of humor. One that didn't include making fun of people or making herself look stupid.

Despite her temper issues and the smacking, she was very sweet. Sweet in a way that she always knew what to say and she always made him smile.

"What was it?"

"Just something Drew told me last week. You know, money stuff." Misty seemed to buy it because she just nodded her head and rested against Ash's shoulder. Not even a few minutes passed by when Misty suddenly shot up.

"I just remembered!"

"What? What is it?" Ash frantically asked. Misty smirked at him.

"You still owe me a bike!" Ash looked at her incredulously.

"Seriously, we're having a moment here and you decide to ruin it by bringing up your bike?"

"Well, we were talking about money so I thought it was a good time." Misty flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Now, you made me mad," Ash warned before he rolled her over, hovered on top of her and started tickling her sides.

"S-stop it, A-ash! That t-ti-heehee-ckles!" Misty struggled to say through her chuckles and Ash's fingers.

"You're so gonna get it this time! First you splash water all over me at the court yesterday and now you bring up that bike thing! Consider this your punishment." Ash continued tickling her while Misty resisted her uncontrollable giggles.

This went on for a few more seconds before Ash's left hand suddenly gave in to his weight so his face was now closer to Misty's, their lips inches away. They were so close that Ash could already see his reflection in Misty's eyes and her breath tickled his cheeks.

Deciding it was probably the right time, he closed the distance between them and plunged his lips down on hers gently for their very first kiss.

Misty's eyes shot open in surprise but soon she relaxed into his kiss and returned it with as much enthusiasm as Ash. Slowly, she brought one arm up around his neck, the other holding her up on the bed and pulled him even closer to her. She felt Ash smile into their kiss and deepened it to which Misty enjoyed.

Ash's lips against hers, his warmth radiating against her, his hand tangled up in her hair while the other held himself up so as not to crush her, she enjoyed every single one of them.

He pulled away and placed soft kisses on her nose and her forehead before he rolled off her and held her tightly against him.

And to Ash, in his honest opinion, this was the best he'd ever felt and he was sure that none of these were part of the bet.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 9**

**Aww, isn't that ending cute? Misty and Ash's first kiss as a couple.**

**I also find it cute when a boy's girlfriend gets along very well with her boyfriend's parents, or in Misty's case, mother. It makes the relationship look more stable.**

**But, here's the question:**

**Do you think this is still part of the bet?**

**Keep reading and review. **

**Review Goal: 36**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 9):**

_Deciding it was probably the right time, he closed the distance between them and plunged his lips down on hers gently for their very first kiss._

_Misty's eyes shot open in surprise but soon she relaxed into his kiss and returned it with as much enthusiasm as Ash. Slowly, she brought one arm up around his neck, the other holding her up on the bed and pulled him even closer to her. She felt Ash smile into their kiss and deepened it to which Misty enjoyed._

_Ash's lips against hers, his warmth radiating against her, his hand tangled up in her hair while the other held himself up so as not to crush her, she enjoyed every single one of them._

_He pulled away and placed a soft kiss on her nose and forehead before he rolled off her and held her tightly against him._

_And to Ash, in his honest opinion, this was the best he'd ever felt and he was sure that none of these were part of the bet._

**-xoOox-**

**TROPHY  
Chapter 10**

"I swear, Hayden! You are cuh-razy!" May exclaimed as she laughed loudly. Drew sweat-dropped.

"I'm crazy? You're the one who's laughing like a pig!"

"Who are you calling a pig?" May ceased her laughter to glare at the grasshead.

"I said you laughed like one not looked like one," Drew said leaning back on his chair and looking at the menu. He had to admit that he liked May when she was fiery. This had only been their third date and already did he receive at least seven death glares from the brunette.

Contrary to popular belief, Drew actually liked May. In his opinion, she wasn't the typical goody-two shoes. She looked very innocent but she had the ultimate devious mind. She seemed very nice but her eyes hid the look of mischief. She was slim yet she ate like a king everyday.

Another interesting thing he considered was how she got into stupid and pointless fights over nothing with her brother, Max. The navy-haired young boy who seemed to read and know everything. His sparkling glasses also hiding the arrogant look in his eyes. The child was very cute but somehow he knew how to set May off. He would find it amusing when the Maple siblings would get into a fight along the hallways in school sometimes.

What Drew found absolutely likeable about May was how happy she was. She wasn't the happy-go-lucky type but she was genuinely a joyful person. He rarely saw her cry and when she did, she put on a strong façade, something he had admired since they'd known each other.

"So, Drew, tell me something about yourself. It's practically time for me to get to know you more. It's our third, uh-" May struggled to find the words. She felt awkward associating 'date' with Drew.

"Date?"

"Yeah, that."

"To begin with, I like basketball," Drew simply stated. May didn't find this amusing and smacked him right on the head.

"Stupid, I meant something I don't know about you!"

"Well if you're so smart then why don't you start!" Drew retorted.

"Fine!" May huffed childishly, "I like Science and I still watch Spongebob Squarepants and I think that Channing Tatum is hot and I used to have this huge crush on Steven Stone."

At these, Drew burst out in laughter.

"What's so funny? I don't even talk like that!" May narrowed her eyes at him.

"I still watch Spongebob Squarepants and Channing Tatum is hot and so was Steven Stone!" Drew mocked in a high-pitched voice before he burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh yeah? You do it then and we'll see who's gonna have the next laugh!" May yelled at him.

"Okay I will. I actually like Math and I listen to Rock Music and I absolutely hate oranges," Drew responded in an all-knowing manner.

"Puh-lease! I'm pretty sure you've got other secrets under that grasshead of yours," May insisted.

"I hate being called a grasshead."

"That's given. It's not my fault you have grass for hair," May replied calmly. Drew growled at her and continued.

"I like roses." Seeing that May was about to laugh at what he had just said, he added, "I know it sounds gay but I like them. They're calming. Don't you notice that I practically give every girl in school roses when I feel like it?"

"No because you've never given me one," May said, confused.

"Of course, I have," Drew replied. Before May could even mutter a reply, Drew was already directly in front of her holding up a rose.

"What? Where? Uh, w-what? Where did you get that? I don't remember you picking roses outside before we left!" May spluttered out.

"Consider it… Drew magic," he responded arrogantly. As May took the rose, she scanned it for any sign of fakeness. She found none. Needless to say, she was thoroughly impressed. Either she had a very bad eye or Drew was very stealthy.

"Not bad, Drew, not bad," she said as she recollected herself. She gave him a small smile before returning to her three-course meal leaving Drew to gaze at her in amusement.

**-xoOox-**

"You went on another date with Drew?" Dawn excitedly asked.

"Yeah, I think it was our third date. I really don't care. He's mean," May huffed though on the inside she was screaming in joy.

"Mean my ass. You're not convincing me with that blush on your cheeks, Maple," Misty argued.

"Speak for yourself. I'm not the only one who went on a date last Saturday. As far as I know, Ash brought you home and introduced you to his mom," May replied with a knowing look on her face.

"How was it? I swear, you guys are becoming more and more distant by the second what with all the boyfriends you've got," Dawn commented.

"Drew isn't my boyfriend, Dawn."

"I don't care."

"Ash's mother is absolutely amazing. I thought she was like the strict kind of mother who wouldn't approve of Ash's girlfriends but it turned out, we actually had a lot in common. I mean we both watched the same late night shows and we both love cooking and we both think that Ash eats like a pig and basically, we think alike!"

"Looks like you've had the time of your life. What else happened? I still have a feeling that you're not telling us everything!" Dawn impatiently replied.

"T-that's about it," Misty nervously responded. She was deciding whether to tell them about her kiss with Ash. Her absolute amazing kiss with Ash. She was sure that both of them would be shouting their lungs out.

"Nope! That's not it. Jeez guys, would you please stop keeping secrets from me? First, May lies about not liking Drew and not you're lying to me about your date with Ash! I thought we were friends." Dawn pouted childishly while May and Misty both just looked at her in pity.

"Well, if you must know, Ash and I kinda kissed last Sa-"

"What do you mean _kinda _kissed last Saturday?!" Dawn suddenly urged Misty to continue while looking at her straight in the eye.

"You know, kiss. Like lips to lips."

"What? How? When?" Dawn insisted, grabbing Misty's arm and gripping it tightly.

"We were having a tickle fight on his bed and his hand kinda gave in on his weight and he fell on me and before I knew it, we were kissing," Misty explained with a nervous blush covering her ears, neck and face.

"Oh my, Arceus! How did it feel? Was he as good as everyone thought he'd be?"

"Yeah, he was. And then we just cuddled the whole night away until I had to go home," Misty said with a dreamy look on her face. She definitely had a wonderful time. Of course she could've stayed there with Ash longer but her sisters decided otherwise. As usual, they couldn't manage the gym so Misty had to leave but not before Ash could give her another long and sweet kiss.

"Aww, Misty. You've got that look on your face! It's like you don't even remember that Ash broke your bike last month!" Dawn gushed.

"Oh, I remind him everyday. In fact, I reminded him the other night and that's what started our tickle fight hence the kiss," Misty explained remembering every single detail of Saturday night.

"You guys are so cute! I always knew you'd both end up together!"

"Who would end up together?" A snotty voice asked.

"Hi Melody," Misty greeted complete unaffected by Melody's interference.

"Hello Misty. I heard you and Ash kissed the other night, is that true?" she asked with fake interest behind her voice.

"Yeah, we did," Misty confidently answered. Melody smirked earning her confused glares from the group.

"What's with the look, Melody?" May demanded.

"Nothing dear!" Melody insisted waving both her hands in front of her. "I find it really cute! But I feel bad for you, Misty. I mean, come on! You're totally far from his league. I don't even know what he saw in you. My, my! For all we know, you could just be another one of 'the girlfriends' who would probably end up being… dumped."

"Look Melody, I don't know nor do I care what you're trying to say but please just leave us alone. I am completely happy with where Ash and I are standing right now and I don't need you telling me what I am to him and he is to me okay?" Misty argued, having the urge to just scream at the cheerleader.

"I was just saying, Misty. You should be careful. You know how those jocks are; moving from one girl to another!" Melody said with false concern.

"Obviously, you're just jealous that I'm with Ash and he's not with you. I suggest you go run back to your squad and just leave the both of us alone," Misty calmly replied.

"Whatever, Misty. Only time knows what's bound to happen," Melody stated before turning around and walking away with the three other girls glaring behind her back.

"What is with her? It's like she doesn't know how to keep her hands off someone else's man," May told her friends with a look of disgust on her face.

"She's not worth our time. Let's just leave her to her own fantasies," Dawn responded.

"You're right, Dawn. She's not worth my time. I've got you guys and Ash," Misty proudly said.

"Uhuh," Dawn affirmed before adding, "As much as I would love to continue with our chitchat, I have a homework that's due in an hour so I'm off to the library to cram it. See you guys later!" In a heartbeat, she took off leaving both May and Misty.

"I've got the perfect idea, Misty!" May suddenly cried out causing Misty to jump in surprise.

"What is it?" Misty asked.

"Why don't you and Ash go on a double date with Drew and I? That would be so fun!" May happily invited.

"That would be perfect! How about this Saturday?"

"I'm fine with that. This would be so exciting!" May exclaimed. "All I have to do now is convince Drew."

"I thought you guys weren't together? How come you want us to go on a double date with him and Ash?"

At this, May blushed.

"We're not together. I don't even know where we stand. We go on dates and we talk a lot but I really don't know what we are," May said looking down.

"You could've fooled me. You guys look like you're together," Misty replied. May was about to counter but another person interjected them.

"Ah, there's my girl!" Ash called out as he pulled Misty in for a kiss earning the couple a dreamy look from May and a bored look from Drew.

"So now you're kissing her?" Drew asked as Misty and Ash pulled away.

"Don't blame me for wanting to kiss her, Drew. You're just jealous that I've got a girlfriend and you don't," Ash responded.

"That is so far from the truth," he stated remembering why Ash and Misty were together in the first place. Ash just gave him a glare and placed his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

"Ash, you're just the person that I need!" Misty nodded to May, "May here just asked me if we could go on a double date with her and Drew!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Who said anything about a date? And how come I don't know anything about this? What are you up to, Maple?" Drew narrowed his eyes in order to glare at her.

"Hey, so it's okay for you to suddenly ask me out on dates and it's not okay for me?" May stared at him incredulously.

"I don't have anything against it. It's just that you haven't even asked me yet!" Drew fired back.

"Fine! Drew, will you go out with me on a double date with our friends?!" May shouted at him.

"No!"

"Why not?!"

"Because a man's got to do the first move!" Drew argued.

"Fine!"

"Fine! May, will you go out with me on a double date with our friends?!" Drew shouted at her.

"Yes!"

"Good! When?!"

"Saturday night!"

"Saturday night! See you then!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!" And with that, they both stormed off in different directions leaving an amused Ash and Misty who both had a look of disbelief in their face.

"What the hell did I just see?" Ash asked rhetorically.

"We have weird friends, Ketchum," Misty replied with the bemused look still on her face. Then, there was silence between them until Ash decided to break it up.

"Wanna go for a smoothie?" He asked.

"I'd love, too," Misty said as she took his hand in hers.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 10**

**Short chapter but this is sort of just a filler. I'm not yet done writing the whole double date part.**

**Please review!**

**Review goal: 50**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 10):**

"_Good!" And with that, they both stormed off in different directions leaving an amused Ash and Misty who both had a look of disbelief in their face._

"_What the hell did I just see?" Ash asked rhetorically._

"_We have weird friends, Ketchum," Misty replied with the bemused look still on her face. Then, there was silence between them until Ash decided to break it up._

"_Wanna go for a smoothie?" He asked._

"_I'd love, too," Misty said as she took his hand in hers._

**-xoOox-**

**TROPHY  
Chapter 11**

"Like, where are you going, Misty?" Daisy's bubbly voice rang all over the entire house.

"None of your business, Dais!" Misty shouted from her room as she tidied herself and stood in front of her mirror holding up to outfits, something she hadn't done before.

"I don't even know why I'm rushing, it's just Ash," Misty muttered to herself as she went with the denim polo and dirty white pants. She dressed herself up and combed her hair frantically.

"Misty, like, why is your room, like, so messy? It's like a storm came here or something," Lily asked from her doorway.

"I'm going on a double date with Ash! I'm gonna be late! Curse you guys for making me watch that movie late last night!" Misty said as she searched her bed for her phone.

"Looking for this?" Lily asked, holding up Misty's black cellphone.

"Where did you get that?" Misty snatched it from her sister's hand.

"You, like, left it on the couch, like, last night when you went to bed. You've got, like, 5 missed calls from your boyfriend," Lily stated with a chuckle.

"I totally forgot! I was supposed to call him last night!"

"Like, calm down, little sister. I've got, like, everything under control."

"And what do you mean by that?" Misty looked at her sister suspiciously.

"I, like, called Ash up and, like, told him to just, like, wait for you at the restaurant since you couldn't afford to, like, wake up early today what with all the business stuff last night!" Lily chirped happily.

"You what?! You expect me to walk all the way to the restaurant in mid-day?! Lily!" Misty asked angrily. She knew her sister was just trying to help in her own weird little way but she couldn't help but feel more burdened.

"I'm sorry, little sis but you seemed so tired, like, last night that I didn't want you to wake up very early in the morning," Lily reasoned out.

"Thanks for that Lily but I'm pretty sure I could handle myself," Misty sighed.

"If it, like, makes you feel better, I could, like, drive you there if you want."

"I did have a bike," Misty growled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. We leave in 15 minutes," Misty said before pushing her sister out of her room and resuming to her preparations. Lily, on the other hand, just shook her head.

"Teenagers."

**-xoOox-**

"What took you so long, Misty?" May asked her friend who sat down in front of her.

"Why don't you ask my sisters?"

"Aw, is my angel being harassed again?" Ash chuckled lightly as he pulled Misty closer to him by the shoulders. Misty buried her face in his shoulder and nodded slightly.

"Don't worry! I'll pick you up next time. I thought your sisters were being serious with me not picking you up early in the morning so I just went here straight. I'm sorry, Mist," Ash apologized as he rubbed her arm in a soothing way.

"I did have a bike, Ketchum!" Misty suddenly shot up and glared at him right in the eye. Of course, Ash was completely unaffected by this.

"I told you I'll repay you once I get the money," Ash defended himself.

"Whatever, let's just get something to eat."

"Hey Drew, you're being awfully quiet? That is far from normal!" May stated causing Drew to look up from his menu.

"I'm not being quiet! I just don't know what to do on double dates. I don't even know how you talked me into this," he complained.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted that _I _go on this double date with _you_," May reminded him and added in a not-so-Drew voice, "Because a man's got to the first move!"

"I don't talk like that!"

"I don't really care."

"So you guys, how've you been? From what I know, this is your fourth date," Misty said breaking the tension between the two glaring teenagers. They both looked at her and blushed.

"Those others weren't dates. We were simply hanging out. You know like friends should," Drew insisted and added, "Besides, I would never want to date someone like her!"

May looked hurt by this and retorted, "Like anyone would ever want to date someone as grassy and greasy as you!"

"Are you sure? Because from what I've gathered, you're the one who practically eats everything she sees!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"YEAH!" Drew argued right in her face earning them looks from nearby customers.

"Mind your own business!" May shouted at them.

Misty just looked at Ash and smirked at him. Ash just simply shook his head and resumed to eating his meal whilst holding in his laughter caused by the fighting teens in front of him.

Misty leaned over Ash and muttered, "They totally like each other."

Ash nodded in assent and just simply kissed her on the cheek leaving a splotch of parmesan sauce.

"Damn it, Ketchum! You left some parmesan sauce on my cheek!" Misty pouted playfully and glared at her silly boyfriend.

"Oops, I'm sorry. Let me clean that up for you," he replied and wiped the stain with a napkin. "Better?"

"Much."

"You guys are too sweet. I swear, you guys are so meant to be!" May gushed completely forgetting her recent argument with the grasshead. Drew, on the other hand, couldn't help but agree with May for once.

Despite knowing that Misty was just part of Ash's bet, he couldn't help but notice how much lighter and happier Ash seemed ever since they got together. He was smiling more, training more and enjoying everything more. He wouldn't admit it but he thought that Misty was a really good influence on him.

He also noticed that Ash's eyes would light up every time Misty was mentioned in a conversation. But what Drew noticed the most was that Ash had barely even brought up the bet. He spoke rarely of it and often talked about Misty referring to her as _his girlfriend._

Besides those, he was doing better in training and was always pumped up even after the most intense conditioning exercises.

Of course, it wasn't only Drew who noticed.

According to May's observations, Misty had been less angry and more lightened up ever since she got together with Ash. She seemed to not have a problem.

Best of all, Misty rarely spoke of her damaged bike and spoke more often about Ash referring to him as _her boyfriend._

She also noticed that Misty had stopped complaining about History, probably because History was what brought her and Ash together.

Ash was not Misty's first boyfriend. She's had two other before him. But unlike the others, in May's opinion, Ash was rather sweet and he actually listened to her. In all honesty, Ash was the only guy in Misty's life whom May approved of.

Rudy, the previous boyfriend, had been very forceful and he always wanted the attention to himself. He never cared about Misty. He was a rich kid who always got in trouble. Typically, he was a douche. At least, that's what May thought. He was funny in a way that he would insult other people. Eventually May and Dawn had had enough of him and tried to talk to Misty about breaking up with and leaving him. Of course, Misty was stubborn and so she didn't listen. Rumors about him being with a girl named Duplica circulated among the students which Misty tried to ignore. After 8 months of being together, they broke up after Misty caught him in a vigorous lip-lock with Duplica behind the chemistry shower curtain.

Since that experience, Misty vowed to never trust people like him. A sort-of jock, being the baseball player that he was, and a trouble maker. However, this vow was broken after Misty had reconnected with Ash. For some reason, May seemed okay with Ash despite his social status. He was actually really nice and he seemed to care a lot about Misty.

"So, Drew, May," Ash nodded at both of them, his right arm slung over Misty's shoulders, "Are you guys in some sort of relationship? This _is _a double date and a double date is like something only couples do. So, are you?"

Both persons in question blushed profusely.

"What are you talking about? Ash, I keep telling you that I'm not in a relationship with anyone! Especially with this-" Drew eyed her keenly and added, "_Thing."_

"I am most certainly not dating this grasshead! Please, I actually have taste!" May denied.

"And besides, she is _way _too out-of-league for me! Nope, I would definitely not ever date her!" Drew continued completely ignoring May's protest.

"And this guy here is _way _too arrogant and annoying for me! Why would you want to assume that I'm in a relationship with this grasshead?" May added.

"I was just saying, you guys. No need to get so defensive, jeez," Ash said as he rolled his eyes.

"I didn't expect to be dating Ash before but here we are, one month and eight days later!" Misty stated happily. She looked up at Ash and gave him a light kiss.

"I didn't even think that Misty would say yes after I wrecked her already broken bike and for being such a stupid tutee," Ash shyly uttered.

"You're not stupid, Ash. You're actually doing pretty well in History now," Misty said earning her a smile from her boyfriend.

"Hey, it's all thanks to you!" Ash chuckled, "And it's thanks to your prowess teaching skills that I actually aced yesterday's long exam!"

"You did? That's great! And it's all because of me!" Misty giggled before kissing Ash again.

Drew looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "You know, I would agree with Bandanna here that you're cute but you seriously need to get a room."

"Shut up, Grassy! Can't you see they're having a moment?!" May shrieked at him with a deadly look. "Jeez, whatever happened to respect?!"

"I was just saying, Brownie!" Drew retorted as he diverted his look at May.

Misty pulled away from Ash and turned to May.

"I think this place is selling cappuccino over at the counter. I'll go buy some. You want one, Ash?" He shook his head while Misty merely shrugged. "May, let's go!"

The two ladies stood up and left leaving Ash and Drew alone watching their backs. Ash had a simple dreamy look as he watched Misty leave while Drew just looked bored. Nothing unusual.

"Ash?"

"Hm?"

"I have a question for you and you better answer this as honest as possible," Drew warned him. The teen in question gulped before nodding his head.

"Go, shoot."

"Is this thing with Misty part of the bet?"

That simple question was enough to draw Ash's attention away from Misty, who was now choosing from a whole box of flavors. It had been a while since he thought of the bet sincerely. Ever since he got together with Misty, he had been trying to forget about the bet.

Seeing that Ash wasn't about to answer anytime soon, Drew pushed through.

"Well, is it?"

Ash looked down at his food and muttered, "Honestly, I don't think so."

Drew gave him a fond smile and said, "I thought so."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. Just a couple of weeks ago, Drew was berating him about his 'fake' relationship with Misty and now here was figuring things out. Truly the grasshead was confusing.

"I see the way you look at her. It's not the same look you give to any other girl out there. Moreover, it's not the same look you've given your previous girlfriends," Drew explained knowingly.

For this, Ash had no response.

"Besides, I think Misty's having the time of her life with you and I can tell that you are too, aren't you?"

Again, Ash did not respond. He was silently thinking about Drew's words. He was confused. He knew that for the most part of his and Misty's relationship, he had been nothing but real. No bets, no lies, no secrets, no nothing.

However, what Drew said next surprised him. It's not that he wasn't expecting it. It's just that he wasn't expecting it to come out from Drew.

"If I had known any better, I would say that you're totally in love with Misty and none of it is even part of the bet."

Misty.

He was in love with Misty? What were the signs that he was in love with Misty? He began to wonder, enumerating each and every sign in his mind.

_You saw her as someone special. In your eyes, she's perfect._

The first time Ash saw Misty was when they were 8. It was a very clear memory. They had met in the park when someone pushed her off the slide in the local playground causing him, who was still sat on the slide's edge, to topple over the ground. That was when their friendship started until she had to move back to Cerulean two years after.

She went back to Viridian just three years ago and she definitely changed. She became more aggressive yet she was sweet. She was very forgiving, agreeing to tutor Ash in History even after he had wrecked her bike. During the short period into their relationship, Misty had proven herself to be more than just an ordinary girl. She knew exactly how to make him smile and gave him the best time he could ever imagine every time they were together.

Ash couldn't help but smile. He thought she was special. She wasn't exactly the epitome of perfect what with all her flaws such as her temper and her constant reminding of Ash about her bike. But he couldn't help but like all these imperfections. He thought they made her perfect.

_You're obsessed with her._

He wasn't literally obsessed with her but every night, he found her invading his thoughts. Even during classes he would think of her. He was always excited to see her. He started knowing everything about her. Like how she disliked her sisters' laziness, her favorite desserts, her morning routines and basically every little detail about her.

_You wish that you could be together with her all the time._

Just like being obsessed. He wanted to spend most of this time with her.

_You'd do anything for her._

He promised to return her bike, didn't he? He also agreed to bringing her home for most of the week until she got her bike back.

_You catch yourself smiling at the thought of her._

This sign was the best of them all. At the mention of even just Misty's name, he would light up. Even his teammates and other friends noticed. They even had an agreement that whenever they catch Ash smiling, it would either mean that the team was doing great or, for most of the time, he was thinking about _his _beautiful redhead.

_You miss her when she's not around._

Don't even get me started on that. Every time Misty would leave for class or home, he would always get kind of sad while being excited for the next time they'll see each other be it the next class or the next day.

"_Yup, I'm in love," _Ash thought to himself.

"Earth to Ash? Jeez, could you please stop thinking about her for one second and just answer the damn question!" Drew said in an annoyed tone.

He flashed a loving glance over at Misty who caught his eye and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. He reverted his attention back to his cousin and had a more confident look.

"Drew?"

"Yes, that's my name in case you've forgotten! Or would you like me to change my name to _Misty _as well just so you would answer me?!"

Ash simply ignored him and answered.

"Drew, I think I'm falling in love with Misty."

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 11**

**Yay! I finished the date part! Ash finally admitted that he's falling in love with Misty hurrah!**

**I hope this wasn't short enough.**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! So much Pokeshipping fluff and Contestshipping (kinda).**

**Review goal: 55**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 11): **

_He flashed a loving glance over at Misty who caught his eye and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. He reverted his attention back to his cousin and had a more confident look._

"_Drew?"_

"_Yes, that's my name in case you've forgotten! Or would you like me to change my name to Misty as well just so you would answer me?!" _

_Ash simply ignored him and answered._

"_Drew, I think I'm falling in love with Misty."_

**-xoOox-**

**TROPHY  
CHAPTER 12**

"I can't believe I'm saying this, Ash, but I've come to that conclusion just a few days earlier than you," Drew stated proudly.

"Really now? Doesn't look like it," Ash muttered under his breath as he cast a quick glance at his girlfriend for the nth time that day.

"Hey just because I'm totally against your bet and your getting together with Misty just because you needed her for the bet, well used to, doesn't mean I can't make any assumptions."

"Oh, really now? So if you could make assumptions about my feelings for Misty then you certainly wouldn't mind if I told you that I'm assuming that you're in love with May over there?" Ash raised his eyebrows tauntingly at Drew.

Drew quickly denied with a series of "no", "never in a million years", and a quick grumble of "I'd rather be gay". However, his denial was invalid because a furious blush covered most of his face causing Ash to smirk knowingly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, Drew, but I've come to the conclusion that you've fallen in love with Maple," Ash mocked him, the knowing look never leaving his face.

"Arceus, Ash! Stop it. You're annoying me!" Drew shouted at his cousin who just shook his head. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately for Ash, May and Misty came back just in time for Drew to shout at him.

"Who's annoying who?" Misty inquired as she glared at her boyfriend.

"Your boyfriend here was annoying me! How you could stand him, I'll never know," Drew said.

"For you information, Drew over here was being a know-it-all so I just had to make him shut up," Ash calmly replied not catching the deadly look in his cousin's eyes. He knew at that moment that he won their argument.

"And what were you guys talking about?" May pushed.

Or not.

"Err, uh, nothing of, um, importance. I'm sure you guys wouldn't, uh, understand. It's, uhhh, guy stuff," Ash stammered hoping that the ladies would catch his excuse. Unfortunately, Misty knew him all too well.

"Guy stuff, huh? I was branded a tomboy once, I'm sure I could catch up with what you guys were saying," Misty said.

"Why do you even want to know? I already told you it's not that important!" Ash complained earning a smack on the head from his girlfriend.

"Because if it's not a big deal then you guys wouldn't make a fuss about it!" Misty yelled at him.

"Why is that you always want to know what's going on with me? We weren't talking about you so just stop it!"

"I don't care if it's me you're talking about! It makes me feel uncomfortable knowing that you're keeping secrets from me!"

"I'm not keeping secrets from you!" Technically, he was.

"Oh really, then why don't you tell me what you guys were talking about just now!"

"I already told you, it's not something that concerns you! Jeez, stop being so nosy!"

"I'm not nosy! How dare you say that!"

On the other side of the table, May and Drew were simply eating their ice creams while watching the young couple fight. It was certainly a sight to see. The high and mighty Ash getting berated by his girlfriend.

"This is getting interesting," May said, her eyes not leaving the couple.

"Is Misty always like this?" Drew asked.

"Yeah," May nodded.

"I wonder how many more hits Ash would take before he finally lets up," Drew said.

"Dunno."

"I swear, Ketchum, sometimes you're impossible!" Misty growled at him for added effected.

"Oh, like threatening every single person who fights you with a mallet isn't?!"

"Now, now, guys. I think it would be better if you guys took this outside where people wouldn't see you making a scene," Drew interjected the fighting couple who completely ignored him.

He simply looked at them and said, "I tried."

"Sometimes I don't what's wrong with you, Ash! It's like you don't even trust me with anything!" Misty said as she stood up rather abruptly and left the store leaving Ash in a daze.

Just moments ago, they were acting like they were on cloud nine and now they were fighting just because he wouldn't tell her why he was annoying his cousin. How shallow.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that," Ash apologized at Drew and May.

"I don't know with you but if I were you, I'd catch up with her," Drew suggested.

"Okay, I will. Sorry for ruining your double date, you guys," Ash apologized one again before he stood up and went after Misty.

"_Ugh, why did Misty have to leave?" _Ash thought to himself as he walked the streets in search of Misty.

"How is it that small things could lead to something like this?" Ash grumbled to himself. He heard someone sniff to his right and saw Misty sitting beside a steel gate in one of the narrow alleys that separated some of the shops in the city with her knees bent to her chest and her head resting on her arms which were on her knees.

Hesitantly, he walked up to her.

He sat next to her but still she didn't look at him and remained completely still.

"Hey," Ash greeted. Misty didn't respond still causing Ash to frown. He sat down beside her and imitated her position minus the head bent on her arms.

"Misty, I'm sorry."

This time she looked up at him and Ash saw that her eyes were bloodshot and tears were on her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. I hate it when you cry," Ash whispered as he reached out and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I'm sorry I got mad at you… and for being nosy," Misty muttered under her breath.

"It's fine, Misty. I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable but really Misty, Drew and I weren't talking about anything that would make you worry. I promise," Ash tried to reason with her.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I was just overreacting. It's just that sometimes I feel like you don't trust me at all," Misty admitted as she continued crying. Ash scooted to her as close as possible and engulfed her in the tightest hug that he could ever give her.

"Of course I trust you, Misty. You wouldn't be my girlfriend if I didn't trust you with anything," Ash said through her hair.

"You're probably wondering now why I feel this way, huh?"

"If you don't mind me asking but why do you feel this way?" Ash asked her.

"Just some past experience with some guy named Danny. He was my last boyfriend before you. He was sweet like you and he always knew what to tell me but there were times when I would feel like he was keeping something from me," Misty told him, "Until I found out about him and his _other _girlfriend. He'd been cheating on me for a few months and I hadn't even known. He'd been talking ill about me in front of his friends and well, I guess, he was making me look bad. I'm sorry I had to go crazy on you."

Ash looked at her straight in the eyes and tightened his grip on her waist. He couldn't help but feel even guiltier now. He couldn't help but remember the bet. Oh how he loathed that bet now. He didn't want to risk breaking Misty's heart just because of some bet.

He couldn't risk Misty leaving him just because of a bet. It would be painful because he had grown to love Misty more than he expected.

"I promise, Misty. No more secrets from now on," Ash said nervously. He couldn't shake the bet out of his thoughts.

"Okay, Ash."

"Oh and if you wanted to know exactly what we were talking about, Drew and I, we were talking about you. I told him that I, uh-" And then he started spacing out.

"Ash, you told him what?" Misty said trying to bring Ash out of his quiet reverie.

"I told him that I, uh, I-"

"Spit it out, Ketchum!"

"I told him that I'm in love with you."

Silence ensued for a good few minutes until Misty decided to break it.

"Oh, you do?"

"I'm sorry, Misty if you don't feel the same about me but really, I swear it's real! I love you and I don't know when it started but every time I see you I smile and my heart goes fast and I like seeing you happy every single moment of everyday and I always think about you when I'm at home an-"

However, his ramblings were cut straight as soon as Misty gently placed her lips on his, resting her hand softly on his cheek to pull him closer to him.

Despite the shock of the sudden kiss, Ash quickly responded and rested his hands on the base of her neck, adding more passion to their tender kiss. Misty pulled away for a short while and rested her forehead on his, her lips a few millimeters away from his.

"I'm in love with you, too," Misty whispered, her lips graving his as she did so.

With a new surge of confidence, Ash quickly stood up bringing Misty with him and pinned her on the wall behind her. He brought his hand to rest just near Misty's head while his other brought her in for a vigorous kiss. Not knowing what came in to him, he quickly thrusted his tongue inside her mouth searching through his newfound territory.

Misty responded quite enthusiastically as she wrapped her tongue into Ash's. She couldn't help but moan in pleasure. Waves of excitement were coursing through her body. She had never made out with anyone so she went with her instinct hoping that she was doing the right thing.

Ash pushed himself closer to Misty, not leaving any space between them at all. His chest against her chest, his legs tangled with hers, his hands resting now on the skin of her waist. He was feeling so much ecstasy and pleasure at that moment. He didn't want to stop. He grazed his teeth hungrily on her lower lip granting him maximum access to her mouth.

He pulled away from her and proceeded to trailing butterfly kisses on his girlfriend's jaw and neck not leaving any patch of skin un-kissed. Misty groaned once again as she enjoyed her boyfriend's ministrations. Ash went back to her lips to give her, this time, a warm and gentle kiss that said love all over it.

They pulled away from each other after a few more minutes, both panting heavily. Ash pulled her into a tight hug. This was the best he's ever felt for quite some time now and he had Misty to thank for it.

**-xoOox-**

Melody was sat on one of the top bleachers of the school gym as she watched the basketball team practice for their championships. They were currently having conditioning drills so she got a little bored.

She couldn't wait to commence her plan: to get Ash for herself, of course.

As soon as the team were put on a ten-minute break, Melody hopped down the bleachers in practiced ease and headed over to Ash who was busy texting, obviously Misty. He had a smile on his face as he communicated with her.

"_Just a little more and I'll be the one whom you'll be smiling to, Ash Ketchum," _Melody thought to herself as she gazed at Ash.

She tapped him on the shoulder and greeted him with an overly enthusiastic, "Hey there!"

Ash snapped out of his happy look to stare at Melody in confusion. He quickly hid his phone in his pocket as if he was doing something unnecessary.

"So, how are you?" Melody asked him while twirling a brunette lock on her pointer finger.

"Uh, I'm fine," Ash responded in a tone which was questioning. He didn't trust Melody that much and he knew that she twirled her hair when she was either going to ask a huge favor or was going to annoy you, which was a lot.

Ash looked at her suspiciously and asked, "I can tell that you want something right now so just spit it out. I've only got a fifteen-minute break so just get on with it."

"Well, straight to the point I see."

"Melody," Ash growled through gritted teeth. He could already feel his phone vibrating in his pocket and he knew for sure it was Misty. He didn't to waste his time talking to Melody when he could simply just text his girlfriend.

"Ash," Melody mocked.

"Alright, I'm leaving," Ash said as he walked away. He hadn't even walked three steps when Melody stopped him.

"I heard you're just using Misty. Is that true?" Ash froze.

"What are you talking about? Clearly, you're making this up. You should know that what I feel for Misty is totally true," Ash said honestly though that didn't affect Melody.

"Please," Melody snarled with a roll of her eyes, "I know about your bet with Gary. I may be someone whom you could call a bitch but I certainly know when guys are doing things which shouldn't be accepted in society."

Ash forced a laugh which came out more as a harsh outtake of breath.

"You would know," he started sarcastically, "Most of the things you do isn't even accepted in society and a few of them, I'm pretty sure, isn't even what we should consider _legal_."

"Don't you get smart with me, Ketchum," Melody retorted, her eyes glowering at him. Quickly, she regained her posture and reminded herself what she was there for.

"I have a proposition for you, Ash," Melody said.

"What is it this time? Look, we've got ten minutes left and I still have a lot of freshening up to do so hurry up," Ash told her completely irritated.

Deciding that it was better to be straight to the point, Melody slyly said, "I could tell your _girlfriend_ about it and make her hate you forever but on the bright side, you won't have to do the talking therefore lifting some of the weight off of your shoulders."

Ash was about to interrupt when Melody lifted her hand in front of his face to stop him.

"Or nobody will have to tell her but you're gonna have to go to the dance _with me_," Melody added.

She didn't give Ash a chance to respond as she walked away from him feeling completely confident, a smirk plastered on her face.

Ash, however, wasn't feeling as happy as Melody. He was in a lose-lose situation. He knew that he could always tell Misty that Melody was lying but then that would also be lying and he didn't want to lie to Misty because then she would never trust him again.

Before he went out for his break, he decided that it was better to tell Misty on his own before things could get worse.

He didn't know what Misty would do to him- possibly cut off his head. Scratch that, she would cut off _all _his heads.

He was going to have to gather enough courage to tell it to her and still prove to her that he loves her.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 12**

**Yay! I finished it after a century.**

**Please read and review and no flames!**

**Review Goal: 60**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys!**

**Previously on Trophy (Chapter 12): **

_Ash, however, wasn't feeling as happy as Melody. He was in a lose-lose situation. He knew that he could always tell Misty that Melody was lying but then that would also be lying and he didn't want to lie to Misty because then she would never trust him again._

_Before he went out for his break, he decided that it was better to tell Misty on his own before things could get worse._

_He didn't know what Misty would do to him- possibly cut off his head. Scratch that, she would cut off all his heads._

_He was going to have to gather enough courage to tell it to her and still prove to her that he loves her._

**-xoOox-**

**TROPHY  
CHAPTER 13**

"Wait, wait, wait," Dawn abruptly cut Misty off while she was talking about her and May's double date with their guys the other day, "You mean to tell me that Ash told you that he loves you and yet he still hasn't asked you to the dance yet? Are you freaking serious?!"

"Come on, Dawn, give the guy a break. He's busy. And besides, I know for sure that Paul hasn't asked you to go to the dance yet," Misty responded nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but that's Paul! You'll never know when he's gonna ask me," Dawn stated.

"Then the same goes for Ash. You'll never know when he's gonna ask me," Misty mocked.

"But Ash is different! He's not anti-social like Paul," Dawn replied.

"So now you're calling your boyfriend anti-social?" Misty looked at her best friend incredulously. Never in a million years did she think that Dawn would be quite capable of saying something like that about her boyfriend.

"It's true," Dawn said with a shrug.

"I'm sure Paul's gonna ask you anytime soon," Misty added, "I don't really mind if Ash asks me or not. I'm quite content with my being his girlfriend."

"Very heroic, Misty. You should get a nobel prize," Dawn commented. At this, Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Seriously Dawn, are you really pissed at Paul because he hasn't asked you to go to the dance with him yet?" Misty asked. To her, it seemed like a really pointless reason to be pissed at someone.

"I'm not pissed at him, just annoyed. Arceus, why won't he just ask me to go to the dance with him? Just because I'm his girlfriend doesn't mean it's given that I'm his date!" Dawn whined.

"Dawn, give Paul a break. He's busy training for the championships which, may I remind you, is just a week from now. I'm sure he'll ask you soon enough," Misty tried to persuade her friend.

"Oh, so he's got time for his damn championships but he's got no time for me?!" Dawn complained before breaking down into tears.

At this point, Misty was getting annoyed at her blue-haired friend. Either it was her time of the month or she was just really spoiled. She decided to go with the latter since Dawn always got what she wanted.

"Dawn, you're being unfair. Paul has been working hard for this championships. It's his last chance to play for this team before he goes to college. There are lots of events like La Finale when we go to college so I suggest you stop whining like a brat and try to understand where Paul is coming from," Misty reasoned out with her.

Dawn finally gave up and stopped crying.

"Fine," she muttered like a child.

"Come on, let's get something to eat. You're probably just hungry," Misty offered.

**-xoOox-**

"Flowers?"

"Check."

"Chocolates?"

"Check."

"Tamed hair and hairgel?"

"Che- what?"

"You seriously have to fix your hair. You look like a girl. Even more like a girl than your own girlfriend," Drew pointed out as he tried to fix Paul's hair with his hand. Paul, annoyed, brushed his hand off albeit harshly.

"Don't touch my hair," Paul warned him.

"Jeez, no need to be so touchy. I'm just trying to help," Drew defended himself.

Paul decided that it was high time that he asked Dawn to go with him to the Seniors' Dance. She'd been pestering him on asking her out to the dance. From making direct insinuations to silent treatments.

Sometimes, he just didn't get her. He loved Dawn a lot, too much, but sometimes the girl was just too demanding.

"Okay, you ready? From what May told me just a few minutes ago, they're over at the Burger House in the city," Drew stated. Paul just nodded and went out the door, followed by Drew.

…

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Paul asked his friend who was driving.

"No," Drew replied calmly. He tried panicking a while ago when he knew that they were lost but he decided that it wasn't worth his time so instead, he'll let Paul worry over that.

"What do you mean you don't know where we're going?! Damn it, Drew, they're probably gonna be home by the time we get there!" Paul shouted.

"No, they won't. Trust me, they won't," Drew replied.

"They better or you'll be sorry," Paul warned him.

"Yeah, yeah, you're gonna hurt me, steal all my hair gels and all my combs blah blah blah. I've heard all those empty threats before," Drew nonchalantly responded, waving a hand to hush Paul.

"May said it was somewhere near the candy store yaddi yaddi yadda 24th avenue yaddi yaddi yadda," Drew muttered under his breath as he tried to recall the directions to the restaurant.

"Are we gonna try and find our way or are you just gonna keep talking to yourself?" Paul impatiently asked.

"Shut it, Paul. The least you could do is be thankful that I'm driving you to your girlfriend," Drew told him off. Paul groaned in reply and slumped back to his seat.

Paul was still in the midst of thinking about what to do with Drew once he was done doing him a favor when the car suddenly came into an abrupt halt. If he hadn't worn his seatbelt, Paul could've sworn that he would have been thrown out of the car.

"How are you allowed to drive again?" Paul growled at his friend as he rubbed the sore spot of his head that hit the headrest.

"May I remind you that among you, me and Ash, I'm the only one who was entrusted with perfect driving skills," Drew arrogantly replied as he stepped out of the car. Noticing that Paul was still in the car, he bent his head and motioned him to get out. However, Paul remained perfectly still.

"Hey, are you gonna get out of there or are we gonna have to wait for another week for you to ask your _girlfriend _to the dance?"

Paul still didn't respond.

"Are you still alive?" Drew reached in and waved his hand in front of Paul's face. Paul quickly slapped Drew's hand away.

"Okay, what's the matter with you?" Drew asked as he went back inside his car and sat on the driver's seat.

Paul simply shrugged and still didn't move.

"I get it!" Drew said as if a thousand gears in his mind began working after a 1000-year hiatus, "You're nervous!"

"No, really?" Paul sarcastically spat out.

"Hey, it's not everyday that I get to see a nervous Paul. Come on, little coward, get out of here and do your thing," Drew pushed him to the car door.

"What if she says no? I mean it took me a long time to ask her out. Maybe she got bored of waiting and looked for her own date," Paul said, panic evident in his voice.

Drew stared incredulously at his friend before he burst out in a wild fit of laughter. He was laughing so hard that tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"What the hell is funny?!" Paul yelled.

"N-nothing," Drew said through his laughter, "It's just that, I-I-ahaha-can't believe you, Paul Shinji, out of all people, would think that Dawn would do something like that! You even sound like a coward for that matter." He wiped a tear from his eye.

"Some help you are," Paul muttered under his breath before he yelled at Drew again, "Drew, I'm serious! Stop laughing or I swear I'll… I'll do something you'll never want to happen to you."

"Oh no, I am _so _scared!" Drew faked as he laughed.

"You're useless."

"And you're hopeless. Paul, you and Dawn have been together for more than two years now. I'm pretty sure she would turn down all the other guys just for you so stop panicking."

Drew added, "And besides, May told me that Dawn is _still _waiting for you to ask her so don't worry."

He didn't know why but Paul suddenly gained confidence in himself and stepped out of the car.

"Aren't you coming out?" Paul said in annoyance.

"Hold on, I gotta tell this to Ash," Drew once again laughed while he texted his cousin of Paul's nervousness. Knowing Ash, he would torture Paul about this.

"Come on!" Paul went to Drew's side of the car and dragged him by the shoulder quite forcefully.

"Paul, what the hell! Violence is never the answer to anything!"

"Shut up," Paul calmly said as he let go of Drew before proceeding to the shop.

They walked inside the small burger shop. It had yellow and white walls, a small counter in the middle, a few high-seats chairs in the middle and 2 rows of regular seats at the back. He walked over to where Dawn, who was still chatting with Misty, was, the box of chocolates and flowers being carried by Drew.

"…and he told me he was sorry and then everything was fine again," Misty gushed as they giggled.

"Misty, sometimes I swear you've got Ash wrapped all around your finger," Dawn said through her giggles.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who's got someone wrapped around my finger."

Dawn gave her a questioning look until Misty pointed to Paul who was now walking behind Dawn followed by Drew.

"What's he doing here? I didn't invite him," Dawn whispered to her best friend.

"Neither did I," Misty whispered back.

"Good evening, Misty," Paul greeted formally before he looked at Dawn who was looking at him with curious eyes, "Hey Dawn."

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked him as she stood up facing Paul.

"To do something very important," Paul answered in a low voice. He took her hands in his and brought her a little closer to him.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked.

"Shut up," Paul said softly and looked directly in her eyes, "I know you've been pestering me about this for a couple of days now, weeks maybe. I guess I never did because I didn't know how to do it. I thought of going for the public approach and all that but I knew it wasn't something I would do from the heart. So here I stand in front of you, asking you one important question."

He paused for a while and looked towards Drew and motioned him to come nearer with the flowers and chocolates to which he complied.

"Dawn, will you go to the Seniors' Dance with me?"

Before Dawn could respond, Drew cut her off, "Please say yes. I worked hard driving him here!"

Paul glared at Drew who quickly shut up. Dawn simply giggled before she kissed Paul on the lips and whispered a simple, "Yes" through his ears before kissing him again.

"Aw, that was so cute," Misty said. Drew nodded in agreement before he got impatient and interrupted the young couple with a loud cough.

"If you're done now, may you please give your lovely girlfriend these gifts and let us leave?"

Paul rolled his eyes and took the flowers and the chocolates from Drew who gave him a congratulatory slap on the back in return.

**-xoOox-**

"So, Paul actually asked Dawn to the dance? Well, it's about damn time!" Ash exclaimed while hanging out with Misty near the gym lockers.

"He did!" Misty agreed, "I expected it though just not yesterday. Dawn's been pestering him about it and I guess the guy got fed up and finally asked her. Although, I do think that he'd been meaning to ask her ever since. He's just too much of a coward."

"Paul's a coward alright especially when it comes to Dawn," Ash acknowledged. Truth be told, Paul was a very tough guy. However, his tough demeanor always disappeared when he was with Dawn. It's not that he wasn't himself around her. Rather, he was actually bringing out the real person in him when he was with her.

Dawn, to Ash and Paul's other friends, seemed to bring out the real Paul. The real Paul who was afraid of spiders, the real Paul who loved cheese a bit too much, the real Paul who collected men perfume and the real Paul who wore unmatched socks to school every single day.

"I find it cute that Paul seems like a dork around Dawn. It's like she's got him wrapped around her finger," Misty admired.

"You mean like how you're a dork around me?" As soon as he said this, he began tickling Misty's sides causing her to laugh and hold on to him to keep her from falling off the bench.

"You loser. Of course, you couldn't think of anything to say so you just tickle me!"

"Hey, you're a dork! It's proven and tested. You actually love _science _and you're ticklish in every single part of your body," Ash pointed out.

"Not every single part of my body," Misty defended.

"Want me to try other parts?" He said this with a wink causing Misty to blush bright red and slap him on the shoulder trying to hide her face in embarrassment.

"You're a pervert, Ash!"

"I was just joking, Mist. You know I would never do that to you." He brought her in for a hug and held onto her tightly all the while feeling the small giggles escaping Misty's mouth.

"And how are you sure that you're not a dork?" Misty pressed, pulling away from Ash a little to look at him straight in the eyes.

"Please Misty, I'm a _basketball player_. I'm pretty sure I'm far from being a dork unlike you," Ash replied with a smug look daring Misty to question him.

"Really now? I remember finding this stuffed toy inside your room the other day. I think it was a Pikachu from that Pokemon TV Show back when we were kids," she told him. In turn, Ash's face reddened with embarrassment.

"Hey! My mom gave that to me on my 7th birthday. I couldn't just throw it away. Mom spent precious money to buy that thing when she was in Japan," Ash replied to his girlfriend.

"And you're a momma's boy! You don't get any dorkier than that!" Misty burst out laughing as soon as she said this. Ash only blushed some more.

"Stop it, Mist! I'm not a dork. Never was and never will be!" Ash whined childishly.

"I'm sorry, you little dork," Misty cooed. Before Ash could even respond to her, Misty pulled his lips to hers and kissed him passionately.

All the while, Ash was enjoying. However, he wasn't able to shake the thought of him telling Misty the truth about why he started dating her in the first place from his mind. It's been bugging him ever since he told Drew that he loved his girl.

Although he was hurting inside as he thought about it, he savored his girlfriend's lips on his and enjoyed this moment with her.

He didn't even know why he was obliged to tell her the truth. But he knew that it would slowly but surely kill him inside if he didn't tell her as soon as possible. The guilt was slowly eating him alive. He was positively sure that Misty would hate him when she knew of the bet but somehow, he knew that he had to do it. He loved Misty a lot and even if it meant her leaving him or him feeling the pain of her leaving him once the truth was out, he knew that it would be the right thing to do.

If you love someone, all the pain would be worth it.

Ash pulled away a little to whisper a quiet "I love you" through Misty's lips before pushing her back onto the bench and kissing her once more.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER 13**

**This was sort of a filler chapter because I'm currently running out of ideas.**

**The next few weeks would be very busy for me so I guess it would take me a long time to post the next chapter.**

**I hope this wasn't corny. I included ikarishipping here because I really love Paul and Dawn's crazy relationship like how Dawn would drive Paul crazy and all that.**

**Review Goal: 60**

**Please review! No flames.**

**Thank you! Bye xo**


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